Meditation is very much like and is be very conducive to prayer. Although placing one into a meditative or prayerful state may not have been a direct intent of the rose window, it is certainly a benefit! The basis of many churches is geometry and proportion. Numbers had a metaphysical significance, and were thought to have occult power. Every aspect of the medieval cathedral utilized that significace: the number of pillars in the choir, the ratio of the levels of in the triforium, etc. Rose windows are no exception to this rule.
The visual impact of the rose window is manifest. Every space is defined by another smaller geometric figure - a trefoil, a quatrefoil, rosette, or spherical triangle. Even the glasswork itself adds to this geometry. The hidden geometry defines the exact placement of every major feature of the rose window-relating to the radial elements, concentric divisions, and all to the center. The symbolic geometry is found in the the numerical significance in the chart above. Circles, squares, triangles, stars, and, of course, the 12 major divisions typically found in rose windows all point to the finite and infinite, earth and heaven, or matter and spirit.
Of course, the geometric significance is rather an intellectual one and probably lost on most people other than in the pleasing proportions and the way the window draws the eye. Often, there is a more direct significance in the theme of the scenes depicted in a rose window.
Some rose windows were very specific in their theme. For instance, that in the north transcept of Notre Dame portrays the kings and prophets of the Old Testament. The south window at Beauvais depicts Creation according to Genesis and then a sequence of stories leading from the Temptation in the Garden to the beginning of Exodus.
Several books, collectively known as On Divers Arts [1] , attributed to the monk, Theophilus Presbyter, were written in the mid-twelfth century.
This is an extremely valuable work as it details many different medieval crafts and their practical application. The second book of On Divers Arts , The Art of the Worker in Glass, outlines the entire process of creating a stained glass window, including the building of the kilns and furnaces. Theophilus indicates three furnaces are required: 1 a furnace for working the glass this is where the glass is melted and worked; 2 an annealing or cooling furnace ; and 3 the furnace for spreading the glass sheets.
An important item of note here is the chemical composition of the glass. Theophilus's method only outlines the use of sand and beechwood ashes. Unbeknownst to him, utilizing other types of ash and various metals would have produced additional colors. However, Theophilus managed to develop several different colored glasses simply by changing the duration of the glass working process: white, saffron-yellow, various shades of red, and finally, purple.
Research has shown these colors to be the result of high concentrations of manganese in the beechwood ashes coupled with varying iron content picked up from the clay posts used to work the glass. He does note how the French make shades of blue, green, and purple, claiming that they use glass vessels and mosaics from "ancient pagan buildings" by melting those same vessels down with white glass to make colored sheets of glass.
The medieval window maker was instructed to make a smooth flat wooden board large enough to work "two sections of each window" on it.
The board was to then be dusted with chalk, watered and rubbed with a cloth to fill in the gaps and to provide a light-colored work surface.
The window section was then drawn on the board directly with compasses with lead or tin tips. A cartoon of the final look of the window was then drawn with red or black pigment on the board and indicating the space needed the borders for the lead cames the leading between pieces of glass. The next step was to take the glass to be used and to transfer the cartoon onto the glass itself. Usually this was chalk ground with water that was applied with a brush.
The glass was then cut to its shape using an iron cutting tool that had been heated "red-hot", and then trimmed with a grozing iron.
Pigment was applied as necessary to achieve specific colors and effects such as shadowing and highlighting. Lettering was created by covering the surface with an opaque pigment, and then writing the letters etching in the pigment with the handle of a brush. Once the glass was painted, the pigment was then fused to the glass by firing the glass in a kiln.
The fired glass is then returned to the cartoon and laid out according to the plan. See more words from the same year. Accessed 14 Jan. More Definitions for rose window. See the full definition for rose window in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up.
Save Word. Definition of rose window. Illustration of rose window. First Known Use of rose window , in the meaning defined above.
Learn More About rose window. The colors chosen hold specific meaning that just about anyone viewing them at the time they were built would understand. The color blue is the color of purity, and of the Virgin Mary, who is the subject of the North Rose Window. The other dominant color, red, symbolizes the blood of Christ.
These colors tell us that the North Rose Window is telling the story of Mary and of the birth of Christ. Just like the colors in the Rose Window tell a story, the characters and shapes pictured there hold symbolism as well. If you pay attention to the numbers, there are 12 of each shape and layer in the North Rose Window. This number commonly symbolizes the relationship between God and man.
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