How likely is it that a French chateau in the 1580s would have glass paned interior doors?
My book club recently began The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, published in 1794 but set in Gascony in 1584. Like many historical novels today, it is full of anachronisms and resembles the period in which it was written much more than the period in which it was set - but is a fun read regardless.
There's one detail I'm particularly curious about. In Chapter 2, our heroine Emily observes her father, M. St Aubert, having an emotional moment in the closet of his room, by looking through panes of glass set into the upper part of the closet door.
M. St Aubert was left with little fortune and married for love rather than money. He was forced to sell the main part of the family estate and now lives in a former summer cottage which was converted into a "simple and elegant residence". He often worries about money.
Is this half-glass interior door one of the many anachronisms in the story, or is it plausible under the circumstances?