RENAISSANCE. The discontinuance of the Gothic system of construction after the fifteenth century put an end to the use of tracery and re moved the chief distinction between the win dows of churches and secular buildings. The art of stained glass declined, although a few fine examples were produced in Florence and in Northern France during the early I:enaissance. In general attention was now bestowed upon the architectural adornment and framing of the or arched openings, which at first were sin gle or coupled arches with little decoration, but later were enriched with most elaborate carved ornament, as in the superb Windt/WS of the Cer tosa at Pavia. In the later periods they were Ilanked by colonnettes and crowned with entahht tures and often with curved or triangular pedi ments. Clear glass was almost exclusively used.
l‘lonr:nx. In modern work windows are either treated simply as openings for light and air, and therefore tilled with clear glass in movable sashes, usually of wood. or made internally deco rative, as in the Middle Ages, by this' use of stained glass. Thus art has been revived and ex
tended by \vholly new developments as to color and treatment, especially in the IinitEld States, and applied in both secular and religious archi tecture. In general the form and treatment of modern windows are made to vonform to the his toric style which predominates in the design, but the style is often handled with great freedom of detail. Nearly all types of Gothic and Ren aissance windows may be seen in modern build ings, the Gothic being chiefly confined to ecclesi astical buildings. The use of plate glass has made possible the glazing of windows with out intermediate sash-bars, with gain in light, but loss of architectural effect. Shop windows measuring ten or fifteen feet square are not un common, each of a single sheet of glass, but they detract greatly from the solid aspect of a build ing and are wholly destitute of architectural elm ratter.