How to Read a Medieval Stained-Glass Window

Join us to decipher the complex layers of a medieval stained-glass window as we ‘take a deep dive’ into the window dedicated to St. Lubin in Chartres Cathedral. One of the first windows you encounter upon entering Chartres Cathedral from the West Portal, the St Lubin Window recounts the story of a sixth-century bishop of Chartres. Together, we’ll investigate the many artistic and narrative strategies artists used to convey his history. Wine—both sacred and secular—is perhaps a surprisingly crucial ingredient in the telling! Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a new lens through which to view and appreciate medieval stained-glass windows. Mary Shepard will be our guide.

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📅 Date: Thursday, June 6, 2024
⏰ Time: 7:30pm EST / 6:30pm CST, 4:30pm PT.

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Mary B. Shepard, PhD,
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Mary B. Shepard is Professor Emerita at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and is the author of numerous publications on medieval art and medieval stained glass. Shepard currently serves as the Vice-President and President-Elect of the American Committee of the Corpus Vitrearum, the international organization dedicated to the study and documentation of stained-glass windows created before 1700. She is a former President of the International Center of Medieval Art and head of Education at The Cloisters–the branch museum of The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Her research interests include French and English medieval stained glass as well as the history of collecting medieval art and its display. Her current work focuses on the remarkable late-Gothic windows of the parish church of St. Michael-le-Belfrey, York—the last program of stained glass created in York before Henry VIII broke with Rome. A Wisconsin native, Shepard received her A. B. with honors from Grinnell College, her M. A. in medieval art history from the University of Virginia, and her Ph.D. in the history of medieval art and architecture from Columbia University in New York City.

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