John Thornton of Coventry

John Thornton of Coventry (fl. 1405–1433) was the leading English stained-glass painter of the early fifteenth century. In 1405 he contracted with the dean of York Minster to glaze the choir east window.

He completed the Great East Window three years later; at 1680 square feet, it is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Thornton designed its histories and images, became a freeman of York in 1410, and was again paid by York Minster in 1433. His workshop spread the International Gothic style across northern England and the Midlands.