John Hutton's Glass Engravings

oreword

SINCE THE OPENING of the present National Library and Archives building in 1967, there has been a continued interest by visitors to the building in the engraved glass panels which were prepared by Mr. John Hutton to decorate the lobbies on the first three floors. For some time, it has been the National Library's intention to have a booklet prepared which would discuss briefly the artist's engraving technique and would explain the significance of the subjects of the various panels.

In 1972, Miss Jean Higginson, a member of the National Library staff who was studying in England at that time, visited Mr. Hutton at his home in London and, with his help and concurrence, prepared the text of this brochure. The text gives a short note on the identity of the figures in each panel indicating the artist's reason for selecting each one, explaining the meaning of the symbols and scenes which appear in the background of most of the panels, and outlining the basic themes expressed in related sets of panels.

John Hutton, shown here with the full-size working drawing of Erato from which the glass panel was engraved.

John Hutton and his son, Warwick, working on the glass panels for the National Library. Mr. Hutton is engraving the ground floor panel showing the actor playing Hamlet. The artist's son, who occasionally helps him, is wearing a mask to protect him from the glass dust generated during certain parts of the engraving process.

ntroduction

DURING THE PLANNING of the National Library and Archives building, careful consideration was given to works of art which could be used to decorate the public areas of the building. Initially, the building would house both the National Library and the Public Archives, but eventually the Public Archives would have its own building. Therefore, it was felt that the decorations should reflect the concerns of the two departments and yet be suitable for the National Library when it became the sole occupant of the building. Themes from literature and Canadian and world history were considered most fitting for this purpose.

As the architects, Mathers & Haldenby of Toronto, had designed it, the building was to have a series of glass panels over the doors from the central lobby on each floor into the rooms which opened off them. These windows would allow natural light to reach the core of the building, thus providing illumination and contributing to a feeling of spaciousness. It was intended that the glass panels, instead of being left plain, should be engraved with figures representing important stages in the development of literature and Canadian history. Mr. John Hutton, a New Zealand-born artist now living in Great Britain, was commissioned to engrave the thirty-seven glass panels to be placed on the first three floors of the building.

The panels on the ground floor are divided into two main groups. The first group, the figures above the doors at the east and west wings of the main lobby, represents the spoken and the written word. The second group, the figures above the entrance to the exhibition rooms on the north side of the building, represents various national traditions of literature and Greek and Roman scenes and artifacts.

The panels on the second floor represent the nine muses and Apollo, the Greek god of music, song and poetry who is traditionally known as the muses' leader. The muses, daughters of the Greek god Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory, were originally the minor divinities who were patron goddesses of poets. Gradually, their sphere of influence was enlarged to include all liberal arts and sciences.

Traditions vary as to which muse was responsible for which art or science. The muses are shown in an attitude appropriate to the character of their particular interest and the small scenes at the top of each panel help to identify the interest. The panels on the third floor represent the birth of Canada in two senses - its discovery by the explorers and the welding of two cultural groups into one state. The backgrounds in the panels showing explorers are based on the actual appearance of the regions with which the explorers were connected and were carefully studied by the artist before the panels were made.

reparation of the Glass Panels

THE CUSTOMARY MEANS of producing glass engravings is to have a specially trained craftsman engrave the glass from the artist's design by moving the glass under or over a rotary wheel. A fluid abrasive which passes between the glass and the wheel grinds the glass just over the wheel, producing a line which is fairly uniform in depth and width.

This subtle formalizing of original drawings during the engraving process led Mr. Hutton to experiment with other means of engraving which would not destroy the effect of the preliminary sketches. He developed a technique for engraving on glass which he used with great success in many buildings in Britain, most notably the new Coventry Cathedral, consecrated in 1962. His technique gives engravings the graininess and shading of chalk drawings instead of the clear and restrained lines of traditional glass etchings. By using a dentist's drill equipped with a small grinding wheel, he outlines directly on the glass the images to be placed on the glass. He also uses this tool later to add fine details. He then uses a series of much larger stone wheels powered by an electric motor. Glass dust is controlled by using a moistened sponge which rests lightly against the surface of the turning wheels and by using a vacuum cleaner whose nozzle is held close to the wheels. Following the engraving, portions of the design may be polished with felt and emery paper to reduce opacity or to give the illusion of depth in the picture plane. During his work on the ninety glass panels for the great west front of Coventry Cathedral, Mr. Hutton perfected this technique which he used for the glass engravings in the National Library and Archives building.

The thirty-seven engraved panels were completed in four years. During that time Mr. Hutton came to Canada several times, not only to visit the building site and to discuss the project with the architects, but also to travel across Canada to get a feeling for the terrain associated with the lives of historical Canadian figures who were to be depicted in some of the panels. He first prepared sketches of each panel which were approved by the architects and planners. These sketches were then photographed and an image enlarged to the actual size of the figures in the glass panels was projected on to the paper and used as a guide for the preparation of the full-size working drawings from which the panels were engraved. The panels were packed and shipped to Canada and installed in the new building under Mr. Hutton's direction.

round Floor Panels - West Wing

The Spoken Word

The orator, standing with one hand raised, as he attempts to stir a crowd on some issue of importance.
The storyteller, seated, recounting a folktale to two women who sit attentively in front of him.
The actor, playing the role of Hamlet, holds the skull of Yorick while delivering a soliloquy on death.

round Floor Panels - East Wing

The Written Word
An Assyrian, with a cuneiform tablet. Cuneiform, one of the earliest forms of writing, appeared in the fourth millennium B.C. and was used by Sumerians, Mesopotamians, Elamites, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians until the fifth century B.C.
Two monks preparing a manuscript. The monk seated is writing on a parchment roll, while the other monk reads from a manuscript scroll.
An early printer with his press. The press in this panel was modelled after the first press used to print from movable type, that of Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg's first published book, the Bible, appeared about 1450.

round Floor Panels - North Side

Important writers who have contributed to the world's literary heritage
The figures in these panels are not intended to be actual representations of the real physical appearance of the people depicted, with the possible exception of Tagore, Tolstoy, Hugo and Goethe. It is almost impossible to achieve lifelike representations with glass engravings because the images are reflected differently as the viewer moves and the background and lighting change.
Confucius (c. 550-478 B.C.), the Chinese sage whose beliefs and practices, which were based on even earlier Chinese classics, became known as Confucianism. Confucianism was an important influence on Chinese thought for 2500 years. Beside the figure of Confucius is the interlocking circular symbol representing Yin and Yang, the negative and positive principles which in Chinese philosophy were the two elements in the cosmos - united but always in a state of flux.
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the Italian poet and author of Divine Comedy, one of the greatest mediaeval poems, which describes a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise under the guidance of Reason and Faith. In the background is a scene from Divine Comedy showing two damned souls with the devil amidst the flames of Hell.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400), the English poet most famous for his work, Canterbury Tales, in which a group of pilgrims on a journey to the shrine of St. Thomas à Beckett in Canterbury pass the time by telling stories. A picture of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury can be seen in the background.
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), the Spanish novelist, playwright and poet best known for his novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. One of the most famous episodes from this novel is shown at the bottom of this panel - the hero, Don Quixote, accompanied by his squire Sancho Panza, prepares to joust with a windmill which he believes to be a giant with four arms.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), England's renowned playwright and poet. Depicted beside him is a scene from his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which Titania, Queen of the fairies, under a spell falls in love with Bottom, the clown whose head has been turned into that of a donkey.
Plato (c. 428-c. 348 B.C.), the Greek philosopher, stands in thought; Sophocles (495-406 B.C.), the Greek dramatist, sits moodily in front of him. The names of these Athenians are printed along the left side of the panel in the vertical fashion customary on vases in the classical world.
Scenes and artifacts of classical Greece. The panel shows a ship sailing among some islands, some typical Greek inscriptions on tablets and a Greek vase or amphora. The inscriptions were selected because of their artistic pattern of letters and are based on actual inscriptions on existing Greek works.
Homer (c. 700 B.C.), the legendary Greek epic poet believed to be the author of Iliad and Odyssey, is shown seated playing a harp. According to tradition he was a blind minstrel. In front of Homer sits Sappho (born c. 600 B.C.), the Greek lyric poetess and leader of a women's literary coterie at Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. She is said to have leapt from the Leucadian rock in despair over her unrequited love for Phaon. The names of the figures are written vertically beside them, and the artist's signature is at the bottom left of the panel.
Roman inscriptions and typical Roman, as opposed to Greek, architecture. Prominent is the rounded arch, characteristic of Roman architecture. The building is a stylized representation of a portion of the great Colosseum or amphitheatre of ancient Rome. The Latin lettering is taken from existing pieces of Roman inscriptions, among which can be seen SPQR (Senatus Populus Que Romanus), which means the Roman senate and people, an inscription which frequently appeared on banners. In the foreground are the Roman numerals representing the number twelve.
Horace (c. 65-8 B.C.), the Roman poet, stands holding a parchment scroll, and in front of him sits Virgil (c. 70-19 B.C.), the Roman poet who wrote Aeneid and who is known to have been a friend of Horace. The names of both poets are written vertically beside them.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673), the French dramatist who wrote under the pseudonym Molière. In the left background is a scene from one of his most famous comedies, Le Malade imaginaire, showing the imaginary invalid bathing his feet in a tub of water.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German poet, statesman and natural philosopher. Goethe's most famous drama Faust is illustrated in the small sketch on this panel. Faust was a legendary magician who appeared as the hero in a number of literary works. Here he is seen at work with the devil leaning over his shoulder.
Victor Hugo (1802-1885), French poet, novelist and dramatist. Hugo is looking down at the hunchbacked hero of his novel Notre-Dame de Paris, illustrated in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1628-1910), Russian novelist. At the bottom of the panel is an illustration from Tolstoy's novel War and Peace, showing the French army in the great retreat from Moscow.
Rabindranath Tagore (1361-1941), Indian writer, social reformer and nationalist who received the Nobel prize in 1913. The small sketch in this panel illustrates Indian life - two women carrying water jugs on their heads, and a man sitting in the lotus position while meditating. In the background are an Indian temple and a mountain range.

econd Floor Panels - North Side

Muses
Euterpe, muse of music and pastoral poetry, playing a flute; behind her a shepherd tends his flock.
Terpsichore, muse of dancing and choral singing, is playing a harp, while a group of dancers whirl above her head.
Erato, muse of lyric and love poetry, is gazing over her shoulder at a group of lovers.
Polymnia, muse of sacred lyrics, in an attitude of thought, her chin supporting her hand, is standing in front of a Greek temple.
Calliope, muse of eloquence and heroic poetry, chief of the muses and mother of Orpheus, mythical Greek poet and musician, is writing. Above her can be seen rolled manuscripts.

econd Floor Panels - South Side

Muses and Apollo
Urania, muse of astronomy, is looking upward, lost in the contemplation of stars and planets.
Thalia, muse of comedy and bucolic poetry, is standing smiling with her hands on her hips. Behind her can be seen a shepherd's crook and the smiling mask which is the symbol of comedy.
Apollo, Greek god of youth, beauty, poetry and music, is playing his harp, while above him the sun, his emblem, shines brightly.
Melpomene, muse of tragedy, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, is staring gloomily at the ground. In the background is a sword and the mask of tragedy.
Clio, muse of history, is holding a long trumpet and looking up over her shoulder to a background scene where flags and banners are flying.

hird Floor Panels - North Side

The Birth of Canada
Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635), French pioneer, soldier and explorer of Canada, who founded and named Quebec City and was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New France in 1612. In the background are canoes and the shore of a lake, since Champlain's explorations were particularly connected with the discovery of the lakes of eastern Canada. His astrolabe, which he is holding in his right hand, was found beside one of the lakes which he explored. He holds his arquebus in his left hand.
Robert Baldwin (1804-1858) and Sir Louis H. Lafontaine (1807-1864), Canadian political reformers, formed a joint ministry of the new Province of Canada for one year in 1842. Here they represent the uniting of French and English in the governing of the new nation.
Sir John A. Macdonald (1815-1891), first Prime Minister of the Confederation of Canada. In the panel Macdonald represents the national unity of Canada, and also the physical unity of the country by the transcontinental railway which he was instrumental in developing. In the background the route of the new Canadian Pacific Railway is clearly marked on a map of Canada.

hird Floor Panels - South Side

The Birth of Canada
Jacques Cartier (1491-1557), French explorer and navigator who explored the eastern seaboard of Canada and travelled down the St. Lawrence River to the Indian village of Hochelaga which he named Mount Royal (Montreal). During his explorations of the Gaspé Peninsula coastline he landed and planted a cross in the soil to claim the territory for France. In the panel Cartier is holding the cross while behind him is his ship and the coastline of Gaspé.
Pierre de La Vérendrye (1685-1749), French Canadian explorer of the prairies, is shown seated to suggest the flat country which he explored, whereas Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820), the Scottish explorer who travelled across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, is shown standing to represent the fact that he went up and over the mountains. Behind Mackenzie is a typical scene on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains with dead trees, partially fallen, leaning against others which are alive.
George Vancouver (1757-1798), English navigator who travelled with Captain James Cook on his voyages of discovery on the Pacific coast of North America. He circumnavigated Vancouver Island, which is named after him, and surveyed the area which is now the site of Vancouver, as well as parts of the northwest coast. He is holding a map of the north of British Columbia in his left hand and a pair of surveyor's compasses in his right hand. Behind him is a globe and a portion of the northwest coast of Canada.

ngravings List

Note: All of the following are larger jpeg images than the gifs that are linked to the above text.

The Orator
The Storyteller
The Actor
An Assyrian, with a cuneiform tablet
Two monks preparing a manuscript
An early printer with his press
Confucius
Dante Alighieri
Geoffrey Chaucer
Miguel de Cervantes
William Shakespeare
Plato and Sophocles
Scenes and artifacts of classical Greece
Homer and Sappho
Roman inscriptions and architecture
Horace and Virgil
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Molière)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Victor Hugo
Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Rabindranath Tagore
Euterpe
Terpsichore
Erato
Polymnia
Calliope
Urania
Thalia
Apollo
Melpomene
Clio
Samuel de Champlain
Robert Baldwin and Sir Louis H. Lafontaine
Sir John A. Macdonald
Jacques Cartier
Pierre de La Vérendrye and Sir Alexander Mackenzie
George Vancouver

To order this free publication

National Library of Canada
Ottawa, 1993

John Hutton's Glass Engravings

The Spoken Word

The Written Word

Important writers who have contributed to the world's literary heritage

Muses

Muses and Apollo

The Birth of Canada

The Birth of Canada