Object Description
An excellent condition and finely made late 19th century medieval style stained glass window depicting the Hunt of St. Eustace from the workshop of German stained glass artist, Franz Xaver Zettler (1841-1916). Inscribed ‘Zettler Muenchen’ (translated Zettler Munich), this spectacular antique stained glass panel is after the window of Saint Eustace in Chartres Cathedral, France, dating from the early 13th century.
Chartres Cathedral Stained Glass
The stained glass at Chartres Cathedral is widely considered as some of the finest medieval stained glass in the world, consisting of 172 bays illustrating biblical scenes, spanning a total of 2600 sq/m. The panel from which this German stained glass window is depicted forms part of a larger gothic window in the north aisle of the Cathedral, dedicated to the life of St. Eustace, patron Saint of Hunters.
Equally as impressive as the original, this antique stained glass window is brilliantly vibrant, the glass worked in very tiny pieces to create detail using a range of colours including green, red and cobalt blue.
Provenance
Born in Munich in 1841, Franz Xaver Zettler was a German stained glass artist. He founded the Institute of Ecclesiastical Stained Glass in 1871 which, in 1873 under the patronage of King Ludwig II, would become a Royal Bavarian Art Institution.
Employing 150 artisans, Zettler displayed works at Vienna’s 1873 International Exhibition, winning a variety of awards. He perfected a method of creating incredibly detailed religious scenes in stained glass in which separate pieces of glass are individually cut to size and fitted into their own lead framework without large, noticeable seams that interrupt the scene’s fine detail. This became known as the ‘Munich Style’.
Recognised as a master of perspective, Zettler is credited as the first to use three-point perspective in stained glass, his work’s reminiscent of landscape paintings due to their distinguishable sense of depth. His techniques are thought to have inspired the stained glass works of later American designer, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848 – 1933).