God the Father

Like paintings of the period, 15th-century stained-glass windows assumed many sizes and shapes.  One of the most common shapes for religious subjects was the roundel.  This example shows God the Father floating among clouds in the company of three angels.  He raises two fingers of his right hand in a gesture of blessing, and in his left hand he holds an orb, symbolic of his sovereignty over the world.  This window represents a transitional period in the art of stained glass, during which smaller, individual pieces of glass ceased to form the design of the window: the design was achieved by applying painted details onto larger pieces of glass.