The Parable of the Vineyard (one of a set of 12 scenes from The Life of Christ) 1520 - 1535

This stained-glass panel, made in the early 16th century by Jan Rombouts, depicts the Parable of the Vineyard. Its construction involved carefully cutting pieces of colored glass, painting details onto the surface with enamel, and then firing the glass to fuse the paint. The lead came lines, which hold the composition together, are an integral part of the image; see how they delineate the figures and structure the narrative. This was no easy task; glass is an unforgiving material. If it cracks in the kiln, you must start over. Consider how this division of labor – the landowner, the tenants, the eventual violence – mirrors the very process by which the window was made, through cooperation and expertise. Rombouts asks us to consider the moral implications of labor, not just in the biblical story, but in the here and now. The panel’s beauty is inseparable from the work that went into its creation, and the social dynamics it reflects.