The Stained Glass

From the collection of William Randolph Hearst, this exquisite French glass panel depicts Christ meeting the women of Jerusalem on the way to Calvary. The composition and dress of the figures aid in fixing the date for this window around 1500 A.D. The Renaissance influence can be seen in the ornamental border, and the banner inscribed flete (weep) relate this work to primitive French paintings of the period. The personal trust of the piety common to Christians of this time is reflected in the two rhyming couplets that form the lower border:

Weep, Christian, Jesus in His pure flesh carries His cross for the sins of the world.
Look and see what the sinner has done to me whom the Lord God has made the Man of Sorrow.