Drawings
War, Victory and Peace
John Henry Dearle (1860-1932) began his life-long work for Morris & Co. in the late 1870s, completing his first design for stained glass in 1884. Since he was also one of the glass painters, Dearle was frequently given the freedom of designing backgrounds for the subjects. After Burne-Jones's death in 1898, he became the firm's principal stained glass designer. In response to the increased demand for memorial windows after World War I, Dearle made this series of designs illustrating the themes of War, Victory, and Peace. The designs demonstrate the continuing influence of Burne-Jones and Morris in the use of medieval costume and setting.
The sketch design for Wilmslow and the cartoon displayed here show two stages in the process of creating a stained glass window. The first responsibility of the designer for a new commission was to produce a figure drawing, or cartoon. In order to be accurate in scale, templates of the various window panels had to be cut and the sizes of the component panels determined. When all cartoons were complete, the studio would create a small watercolor sketch design on a scale of an inch to a foot to send to the client for final approval. Lead lines were then drawn onto the cartoon and background details added. Finally, the individual glass pieces were traced, cut and painted, and fired in the kiln to set the painted enamels. Lead was then added around the glass and the pieces soldered together. In the firm's workshops at Merton Abbey, fully assembled windows could be hung in the large upstairs windows to view their full effect.
The sketch design for Wilmslow and the cartoon displayed here show two stages in the process of creating a stained glass window. The first responsibility of the designer for a new commission was to produce a figure drawing, or cartoon. In order to be accurate in scale, templates of the various window panels had to be cut and the sizes of the component panels determined. When all cartoons were complete, the studio would create a small watercolor sketch design on a scale of an inch to a foot to send to the client for final approval. Lead lines were then drawn onto the cartoon and background details added. Finally, the individual glass pieces were traced, cut and painted, and fired in the kiln to set the painted enamels. Lead was then added around the glass and the pieces soldered together. In the firm's workshops at Merton Abbey, fully assembled windows could be hung in the large upstairs windows to view their full effect.
