Artist unknown.
For two hundred years, from the beginning of the sixteenth century, Swiss artists were predominant in the production of secular painted glass: religious painting had virtually stopped as a result of the Reformation. Commemorative panels showing the coat of arms or figure of the donor were presented for display in town and guild halls, council chambers and inns. The technical difficulties of depicting heraldic devices in glass led to the development of new techniques, including the painting of different enamel colours onto the glass, abrasion of the surface and the use of the point to achieve fine lines. This resulted in an increasing naturalism and elaboration of detail. These panels represented a turning point in the art of stained glass with the first use of secular themes which were to keep it alive until the great religious revival of the nineteenth century.
A standard-bearer in full armour, holding in his left hand the banner of the canton of Uri. On the left is part of an architectural frame, on the right a crown and the coat of arms of the town of Uri. A missing portion on the right has been replaced by a fragment bearing another coat of arms, and other replacements include the standard bearer's left leg and right arm.
Upper part:the legendary Swiss hero William Tell shoots the apple from his son's head.
Inscription: The praiseworthy land of Uri 1625.
Inv. No. 1984/3/6 On loan from the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A 947-1935).