National Gallery - Medieval Art

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These (blurry) stained glass pieces range from the 12th to 14th centuries, but share features such as the colors used, the methods by which they were created, and general style. Compare the people in the glass to this late 15th/early 16th-century Italian piece:

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in which the Virgin is noticeably more "realistic."

Here's a detail of the border and some books (because books are always important!):

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A pyx is a container used to carry the consecrated host (the Eucharist). They come in all shapes and sizes. This early 13th-century French pyx is gilded copper and enamel, and is in the form of a dove.

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A retable is a piece placed either on or behind the altar in a church (hence also sometimes called altarpieces when they incorporate sculpture). Altarpieces can be huge, but this piece is only about two feet high. Note the traces of color on the figures -- this normally would have been brightly colored.

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