The panel depicted here is composed of stained glass fragments that are English and date between the 14th and 15th centuries. These fragments were gathered together in the late 19th or early 20th century by the collector Grosvenor Thomas. He donated over 100 different fragments of decorated glass to the Victoria & Albert Museum where they have been displayed in these 'composite' panels to illustrate techniques in Medieval window glass decoration.

England had a rich tradition of stained glass in the Middle Ages but much of it was destroyed by official government action or by iconoclastic fervour in the Reformation and Puritan periods. In the 18th century there was a new interest in medieval stained glass and by the following century much old glass was being imported from abroad or uncovered in excavations or from old storage locations in this country. Sadly, much of the old English stained glass only survives in a fragmentary state.

The fragment featured here depicts a crowned 'M', which refers to the Virgin Mary and refers to her being crowned 'Queen of Heaven' by her son, Jesus Christ. It also illustrates a technique of decorating glass that developed in the early part of the 14th century. It consisted of painting a compound of silver on the back of the glass which, after firing in a kiln, turned yellow and sank into the clear glass. Many panels from that period until 1500 are decorated simply in yellow (silver) stain and highlighted with a brown/black pigment, as shown here.