Period: Gothic
Date: 1245–47
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Object no.: 471987

Vision of Saint Germain of Paris

Unknown Parisian glass painter, 1245–47

Stained glass panel with a haloed bishop appearing to a monk lying in bed, set against a deep blue ground

Maker: Unknown Parisian glass painter
Date: 1245–47
Medium: Pot-metal glass, vitreous paint
Dimensions: 63.8 × 40 cm
Period: Gothic

Why it matters

This panel from the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris shows the saint appearing posthumously in a dream to a monk of his community, urging him to hold to his faith. The figures fill the dark blue ground with little setting, and the monk’s curved pose and averted face carry the drama. Made in the 1240s, it belongs to the same Parisian glazing culture as the Sainte-Chapelle.

The Met collection record