Chagall Glass in Metz

Before we went to Germany in August we saw a TV program about Metz Cathedral. As a  family member had recently been there and raved about it, we thought we'd go, specifically to see the Chagall windows.

We were partially successful.

The photo above shows the first Chagall window in the north ambulatory and shows Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, Jacob wrestling the angel, Jacob's dream of the ladder, and Moses at the burning bush. Noah and Joseph appear to sit in miniature in the tracery, and an angel with a rainbow appears to crown the top.

This photo shows the second Chagall window in the north ambulatory. Moses receives the Law and, in some readings, leads the Hebrews across the Red Sea. In the centre, David plays the harp, (that's the green and yellow bit). On the right, Jeremiah mourns Jerusalem in purple and blue. Above the three lancets, a rose window is read as the Crucifixion, placing the prophets beneath the cross.

It's difficult to actually know what the windows DO actually show. Chagall is abstract enough that the windows can be interpreted, and some people have interpreted differently. I tried to use peer reviewed articles where possible.

What we do know is that Chagall drew the designs and applied highlights of grisaille (black and grey) to the glass. Charles Marq and Brigitte Simon, of the Atelier Simon-Marq in Reims, cut, fired, and leaded the pieces. Marq developed a process of veneering pigment onto glass, which let Chagall layer colors on a single piece.

And the partially successful bit?

That's because there are other Chagall windows we didn't see. We did see (and photograph) a window by Jacques Villon (born Gaston Duchamp, the brother of Marcel Duchamp), which I confidently identified to Susan as one of the Chagall windows. In my defence, Villon also worked with Charles Marq, so the glass may come from the same workshop as Chagall's windows

I give myself four out of ten, mainly for effort.