Multi-disciplinary Investigation of the Windows of John Thornton, focusing on the Great East Window of York Minster

Twenty-seven samples of glass from panel 2e of John Thornton’s Great East Window (1405–1408) at York Minster have been analyzed using energy dispersive x-ray analysis in the scanning electron microscope. This paper highlights our findings. Inserts and replacements of early modern and medieval glass have been identifi ed. White (colorless) and colored medieval glass differ significantly in composition, suggesting diff erent sources. Eleven samples of white glass original to the window are identical within analytical error, suggesting they came from the same batch, but the head of Christ is from another panel. Blue and flashed red glass were each the product of more than one batch of melting. Primarily, the condition of the glass is dependent upon silica content. Further investigations of other panels from the Great East Window, and of other windows by Thornton, are ongoing.