We shall have to approach the subject of viewing sixteenth century glass
in a very different spirit from that in which we undertook the tours of
the preceding centuries. We can no longer set up any claim to
thoroughness. If our pilgrim visited all the places recommended in our
thirteenth century excursions, as well as those for the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, he can rest with the comfortable assurance that he
has seen about all of the really good glass of those periods. Now we
have a different problem. There has survived a great deal more glass
from the sixteenth century than from all the preceding ones combined. He
cannot hope to see it all, and we will have to limit ourselves to
sketching out for him three tours covering the best--supplementing these
by several detached cities, so that if the glass hunter happens in their
neighbourhood he will not overlook them. He will find, however, some
compensations for the bewilderment caused by the great quantity of
sixteenth century glass, the chief of which is that either Rouen or
Troyes provides in its many churches a complete exposition of that
period's style. If the pilgrim's time is limited, he can accomplish more
during a short stay in those two cities than he could upon any tour
which might be outlined. Two other compensations provided by this
abundance of material are--first, that there is a great deal of good
glass to be seen in Paris, and furthermore, the automobilist especially
will delight to learn that there are a half-dozen points in its
immediate neighbourhood which offer an excellent excuse for a half-day's
outing. For the leisurely traveller who has both time and inclination,
we will arrange three tours; but he must understand that although they
will provide him with a sight of the best sixteenth century glass, there
will still be left a number of towns worth visiting.
Each of these trips will begin in Paris. On Tour (_a_) we first stop at
Vincennes, just outside the fortifications, then on to Sens, to Troyes,
to Chalons-sur-Marne and back to Paris. Tour (_b_) takes us by way of
Versailles to Montfort l'Amaury; then to that perfect shrine of
Renaissance glass, Conches; next to Pont-Audemer; then across the Seine
by boat to Caudebec, and from there upstream, by the interesting old
Abbey of St. Wandrille and the stately Jumieges to Rouen. From Rouen we
run out to Grand-Andely, Elbeuf or Pont de l'Arche before we push up the
river Seine to Paris. Tour (_c_) will particularly recommend itself to
the automobilist, and most of the points are quite near Paris. We go out
through St. Denis to the town of Montmorency, then through the wood of
Montmorency to Ecouen, and next a little further on to Chantilly. From
there our route lies across to Beauvais, and back to Paris. As stated
before, several of the towns comprised in these three tours are so close
to Paris as to enable a glass lover with a half-day on his hands to
pleasantly employ it in a short excursion by train or automobile. Of
course, if he travels by train he can hardly hope in half a day to see
more than one of these. If, however, he is an automobilist and therefore
untrammelled by time-tables, he can combine several. For example, a
glance at the map will reveal that Ecouen, Montmorency and Chantilly are
so close together that an automobilist can fit them into one day. A word
of warning is not out of place for one about to visit these nearby
towns. He must be careful to ascertain from his Baedeker or from the
public prints, upon which days they are open to the public. Montfort
l'Amaury and Ecouen can be seen any day; Vincennes and Chantilly,
Thursdays and Sundays, etc., but these statistics had better be verified
in the manner suggested because the regulations are changed from time to
time. There are three very important glass shrines which are, however,
so located as to make it impossible to combine them into a tour. These
are the Cathedral of Auch (down in the southwest near Toulouse), the
chapel of the chateau of Champigny-sur-Veude in Touraine, and the famous
church of Brou at Bourg in Savoy. The pilgrim should make every effort
to see them.
[Illustration: 16TH CENTURY TOURS.
(_a_) _Vincennes, Sens, Troyes, Chalons._
(_b_) _Montfort l'Amaury, Conches, Pont-Audemer, Caudebec, Rouen,
(Grand-Andely, Elbeuf, Pont de l'Arche)._
(_c_) _Montmorency, Ecouen, Chantilly (St. Quentin), Beauvais._
_Also separate visits to Bourg, Auch and Champigny-sur-Veude._
(_For table of distances, see page 295._)]