Painting with Light - Stained Glass Decoration
How-to-Guide on stained glass windows - How little the art of stained glass has changed over the centuries.
In the 12th century, the monk Theophilus wrote a short how-to guide on stained glass windows. "If you want to assemble simple windows," he advised, "first mark out the dimensions of their length and breadth on a wooden board, then draw scrollwork or anything else that pleases you, and select colours that are to be put in. Cut the glass and fit the pieces together with the grozing iron. Enclose them with lead cames and solder on both sides. Surround it with a wooden frame strengthened with nails and set it up in the place where you wish."
History of Stained Glass
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Roman Origins Although vessel glass was made in very early times, window glass seems to have been a Roman invention of the early Imperial period. The Romans used cast slabs of glass six inches square which were mounted in wooden frames. Slabs of this kind have been found at Pompeii, Herculaneum and Silchester (village in England). The Romans do not appear to have used translucent coloured glass for windows and this, as well as the invention of lead strips to hold the pieces of glass together, seem to have originated in the Byzantine world. We do not know when these two discoveries, crucial to the making of stained glass windows, took place, but the technique was certainly well established in Europe by 1110-30 when the monk Theophilus, who was probably from Germany wrote his famous Diversarium Artium Schedule. By the 12th century complex techniques of stained glass manufacture had evolved and the essential methods have remained more or less unaltered to the present day. The Middle Ages Stained glass is an art of colour, line and light. Stained glass windows are composed of two essential components - the glass itself, and the bonding, traditionally in the form of strips of lead, and the bonding, traditionally in the form of strips of lead, which hold the glass together. The glass, usually coloured, may be augmented by overprinting in enamels to add tone, texture, and detail. Historically, the combination of pieces of coloured glass came about as a response to a technical limitation. Duringt the Middle Ages in Europe, glass making techniques could not produce pieces of sufficient size to to span the height and width of window opening in churches which grew larger as the art of architecture progressed, climaxing in the the enormous window opening of the great Gothic cathedrals and churches of the High Middle Ages. To overcome this liability, deigns used strips of lead to enable them to assemble many small pieces of glass into a matrix large enough to fill the dimensions of a window opening. The genius of stained glass design lay in part in incorporating the headlines as a technical necessity into the aesthetics of the overall design, outlining and accenting compositions in a matter making to the outlines of modern colouring books. Revival During the Nineteenth Century While the art of stained glass was in decline from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, it underwent a spectacular revival during the 1800s. The revival of stained glass art took place in the dual context of growing interest in the art and architecture of the Middle Ages, and the effects in glass making brought about by advances in chemistry and technology associated with the Industrial Revolution. Two essential types of glass emerged in stained glass design in the 1800s. So-called "antique" glass was not old glass, but hand blown glass. In contrast, "cathedral" glass, was machine made, with hot glass passed through metal rollers. As the result of studies by antiquarians and scientists alike, glassmakers of the 1800s re-invented what came to be called the "true mosaic process", using contoured headlines to outline and augment compositions of multiple pieces of coloured glass. Enamel Paining Enamel painting derived from traditions dating back as far as the 1400s and much used by many stained glass artists of the 1800s and even early 1900s. In Canada, enamel painting was used on plain or white glass when coloured glass was either unavailable or prohibitive in cost. The glass obtained by stained glass studios in Canada was always imported, often from Great Britain, but also from France, Germany and the United States. |
Fragments of English Painted Glass from the 13 - 17th Centuries. Created in 1920, (A1-1718).
Title: Vaulting and Stained Glass Windows.
Reference No.: A1-5909.
Location:King's College Chapel ,Cambridge, England
Remove Not The Ancient Landmark, Which Thy Fathers Have Set. |
Stained Glass as Monument Art - To understand history architecture, light and space
The ethereal beauty of medieval stained glass windows
Stained glass windows are never static. In the course of the day they are animated by changing light, their patterns wandering across the floor, inviting your thoughts to wander with them. They were essential to the fabric of ancient churches, illuminating the building and the people within, both literally and spiritually. Images and scenes leaded together into windows shed light on the centre drama of Christain salvation. They allowed the light of God into the church.
The ethereal beauty of medieval stained glass windows
Stained glass windows are never static. In the course of the day they are animated by changing light, their patterns wandering across the floor, inviting your thoughts to wander with them. They were essential to the fabric of ancient churches, illuminating the building and the people within, both literally and spiritually. Images and scenes leaded together into windows shed light on the centre drama of Christain salvation. They allowed the light of God into the church.
Life, like a dome of many coloured glass, stains the white radiance of eternity - Percy Bysshe Shelley
Title: Exterior View of King's College Chapel, c.1446, Cambridge.
Reference No.: A1-6352.
No amount of photographic skill can replace the pleasure of seeing stained glass windows brought to life by the magic of light in the buildings for which they were specially designed and made.
Title: Stained Glass Window Fragments (14th C).
Reference No.: A1-5924.
Location: King's College Chapel, England
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Title: Medieval Stained Glass, 15th.
Reference No.: A1-6281.
Location: King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England
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Emmanuel College, Cambridge (c. 1584) - Connection to Harvard University, Boston
Title: John Harvard stained glass window. Founder of Harvard University. Reference No.: A1-5861.
Location: Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Stained Glass Window Tracery
Types of Window Tracery
Types of Window Tracery
1. Plate tracery. Late 12th and early 13th century.
2. Geometrical tracery. Second half 13 century.
3. Interesting tracery. 13th-14th century.
4. Reticulated tracery. Early to mid-14th century.
5. Perpendicular tracery. Late 14th century.
6 Curvilinear or undulating tracery. 14th century.
7. Panel or rectilinear tracery. 15th century.
Reproduced from The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, Penguin Books
1. Plate tracery. Late 12th and early 13th century.
2. Geometrical tracery. Second half 13 century.
3. Interesting tracery. 13th-14th century.
4. Reticulated tracery. Early to mid-14th century.
5. Perpendicular tracery. Late 14th century.
6 Curvilinear or undulating tracery. 14th century.
7. Panel or rectilinear tracery. 15th century.
Reproduced from The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, Penguin Books
See notes below on Ely Stained Glass Musuem, England.
Click on image to enlarge.
All images taken in museums (marked by "RN") are not for sale and are for educational purposes only
Title: Octagon Tower Window Tracery, c.1322. Reference No.: A1-6633.
Location: Ely Cathedral
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David Clendenning with Ely Cathedral guide on the roof of the 800 year old bell tower, October, 2016
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Title: Window Tracery, c.1343.
Reference No.: A1-7422.
Location: St Wendreda, England.
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Title: Window Tracery and tomb, Medieval.
Reference No.: A1-3535.
Location: Church yard, near Bibury, Gloucestershire.
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Title: Window Tracery, c.1326.
Reference No.: A1-6070.
Location: Clare College, Cambridge
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Title: Window Tracery, Salisbury Cathedral.
Order No.: A1-7964.
Location: Wiltshire.
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Painting with Light
Title: Evening Light.
Reference No.: A1-5971.
Location: Old Manor, Derbyshire
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Title: Coat-of-arms.
Reference No.: A1-6001.
Location: Old Manor, Derbyshire.
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Glass Heritage in the United Kingdom
For at least thirteen hundred years the art of making stained glass windows has been practised in England. The earliest known work was in 675 when imported workmen from France glazed the windows of the monastery of St. Peter, Monkwearmounth, Northumberland. But the use of window glass goes back much further in history to Roman times.
Glass in Monasteries, Castles, Parish Churches, Cathedrals, Colleges, Houses and Guild Houses
Images for educational purposes only
A significant contribution to the art of Gothic Europe as a whole was the splendid fifteenth-century output in England of painted glass.
Title: Beautiful Crowned Female Head, c. 1440-60, Norwich Artist.
RN: A1-6771.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Title: Angel Musican Playing the Vielle, c.1440-60.
RN: A1-6777.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England
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All images taken in museums (marked by "RN") are not for sale and are for educational purposes only
Flemish (Imported to England)
Title: Village Scene, 16th C, Flemish.
RN: A1-0844.
Location: St Michael's Mount, England.
Title: Stained Glass Window, 16th C., Flemish.
RN: A1-0822.
Location: St Michael's Mount, Cornwall.
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Title: Stained Glass Panel, 16th C., Flemish.
RN: A1-0832.
Location: St Michael's Mount.
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Title: Stained Glass Window. Flemish, 16th century.
RN: A1-0859.
Location: St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England
Title: View of Bay in Evening.
RN:L3-0921.
Location: Returning from St. Michael's Mount to Port Marazion, Cornwall.
Medieval England
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Subjects for the glass derive from Scripture, from standard themes in Christian theology, and also relate to the cycle of the Christain year and even to the functions of part of the building. For example, glass many contain Eucharistic reference to bread and wine. The subject of Christ blessing children was frequently chosen for memorials in stained glass, part of its topicality dating back to 1800 when infant morality was much higher than in subsequent decades. The Good Shepard shows another subject suitable as a memorial for a child dying in infancy. Another subject would be the depiction of Christ healing a sick woman. The most elaborate stained glass windows often included architectural details stimulating the carved canopies over statuary.
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Exterior of St Noet Church, Cornwall.
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Title: Twelve Designs, series of incidents from the life of the saints. 15thC.
RN: A1-0206.
Location: St. Neot Church, England.
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Title: Noah Window, c.1480.
RN: A1-0204.
Location: St Neot Church, England
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In Medieval times, architects of the great Gothic cathedrals made use of sculptural decoration and stained glass in order to both beautify the sacred space, and instruct the illiterate masses in the most fundamental Bible stories and tenants of the faith.
Title: St George Window, Medieval.
RN: A1-0212.
Location: St Neot Church, England.
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Title: Harys Window, 16th century.
Order No.: A1-0218.
Location: St. Neot Church, Cornwall.
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Title: A panel of Hary"s Window, 16th Century.
RN: A1-0221.
Location: St. Neot Church, Cornwall
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Title: Saint Bartholomew, c.1404-22, Workshop of Thomas of Oxford. Originally from Winchester Cathedral.
RN: A1-6750.
Location: England.
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Title: Main Medieval Window.
RN: A1-7722.
Location: Norwich Cathedral, Norfolk
St Mary Magdalene Parish Church, Sandringham, Norfolk
The parish church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, is a country church of exceptional historic interest, with memorials to many members and relations of the Royal Family from Queen Victoria onwards. It is used regularly as a place of worship by the Royal Family and Estate staff.
Sandringham Church is considered to be one of the finest carrstone buildings in existence, and dates back in its present form to the 16th century.
Sandringham Church is considered to be one of the finest carrstone buildings in existence, and dates back in its present form to the 16th century.
Title: Fishermen with Jesus.
RN: A1-7476.
Location: Sandringham Royal Estate, Norfolk
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Title: Jonah before the repentant city of Nineveh, 17th century. Abraham van Linge.
RN: A1-8649.
Location: Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
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Title: Stained Glass window, 17th century. RN: A1-8665.
Location: Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
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Hereford Palace at the time of Elizabeth 1.
Title: Stained Glass window, 17th century.
RN: A1-6162.
Location: Hereford Palace.
Title: Bust of Elizabeth 1, 17th century. RN: A1-6248.
Location: Hereford Palace.
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Title: Facade of Hereford Palace.
RN: L3-6290.
Location: Hereford Palace.
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Three Lancet Medieval Windows, York School, Hereford, About 1435 - Pot-metal glass, clear glass with silver stain, leading.
Title: Saint Anne Teaching the Virgin to Read, York School, c.1435.
RN: A1-2669.
Location: Hereford.
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Title: Saint Winifred. York School, c.1435. RN.: A1-2672.
Location: Hereford
Location: Hereford, York School,
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Title: Saint Thomas Becket, York School, c. 1435.
RN: A1-2675.
Location: Hereford
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These three lancet windows, exceptional examples of fifteenth-century painted stained glass, are attributed to an artist from the region of Hereford. They have been traced to the domestic chapel of Hampton Court, near Leominster, Herefordshire. All three depict saints; Saint Anne teaching her daughter, the Virgin Mary to read; Saint Winifred, a Welsh saint who was admired in medieval Britain; and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered by Henry 11 in 1170.
The colours of the glass are restricted to red and blue, with yellow highlights that resulted from the application of a fiver stain to the white glass. The emphasis in on painted line rather than pure colour, and the draftsmanship, modelling of the figures and fluid lines of the drapery are extremely skillful. The placement of the figures under an architectural canopy against a ground of vegetal motifs or textile patterns was a common feature of fifteenth-century English stained glass.
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Title: Composite Window of Late English Medieval Period, c. 1400-50.
RN: A1-1711.
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.
Composite Window of English Stained Glass
c. 1450-60, Pot-metal glass, colourless glass, vitreous paint, and silver stain. King Edward the Confessor (above centre)
c. 1450-60, Pot-metal glass, colourless glass, vitreous paint, and silver stain. King Edward the Confessor (above centre)
The Stained Glass Museum, Ely Cathedral, England - Display Notations
SGM contains a major collection of stained-glass panels from ancient to modern times, plus glassmaking tools & Materials
Comments are based on individual research for educational purposes only. From display materials at the Stained Glass Museum (SGM), one gains an unique insight into the fascinating history of stained glass, an art-form that has been practised in Britain for at least thirteen hundred years. Photographs are not for sale.
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Click to enlarge and read
Changing Styles
The style of stained glass, known as Gothic, developed during the Medieval period, reflecting the elegant soaring architecture of the same name used in churches and cathedrals.
During 1600-1800, the Gothic style of stained glass declined in popularity. Circumstances in the early 1800s favoured a revival.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in the rapid expansion of towns and cities, which required new churches for their growing populations. From 1829 Roman Catholics could worship freely, further boasting demand for new churches.
Initially, a variety of different architectural styles competed for popularity aiming to reflect the country's growing self-confidence. When a medieval design was chosen for the new Houses of Parliament in 1835, the balance tipped in favour of the Gothic style.
New building required new furnishing to match. The brilliant pioneering architect and designer, N. W. N. Pugin who worked with Charles Barrie on the design for the new Houses of Parliament, led the revival in stained glass. His designs recaptured the style of medieval work, while artist-craftsmen like Thomas Willement, William Wailes, William Warrington and John Hardman revived the 'mosaic' craft techniques of the Middle Ages.
The style of stained glass, known as Gothic, developed during the Medieval period, reflecting the elegant soaring architecture of the same name used in churches and cathedrals.
During 1600-1800, the Gothic style of stained glass declined in popularity. Circumstances in the early 1800s favoured a revival.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in the rapid expansion of towns and cities, which required new churches for their growing populations. From 1829 Roman Catholics could worship freely, further boasting demand for new churches.
Initially, a variety of different architectural styles competed for popularity aiming to reflect the country's growing self-confidence. When a medieval design was chosen for the new Houses of Parliament in 1835, the balance tipped in favour of the Gothic style.
New building required new furnishing to match. The brilliant pioneering architect and designer, N. W. N. Pugin who worked with Charles Barrie on the design for the new Houses of Parliament, led the revival in stained glass. His designs recaptured the style of medieval work, while artist-craftsmen like Thomas Willement, William Wailes, William Warrington and John Hardman revived the 'mosaic' craft techniques of the Middle Ages.
Looking Back
A number of influential historical studies in 1840-50 gave craftsmen and designers invaluable information about the Middle Ages. The most important were by Charles Winston, a patent lawyer and amateur historian. His studies made him aware of the short-comings of the glass available to artist of his own day, which was often thin and garish in colour.
In 1847 he encouraged experiments designed to rediscover the chemical components of medieval glass and persuaded the London firm of James Powell $ Sons to make 'antique' glass to his recipes. . At the same time Pugin was encouraging similar experiments by the Birmingham firm of John Hardman.
A series of important restorations of medieval windows, including those in Bristol and Glouscester Cathedrals, gave stained glass artists valuable first-ham experience of old glass. By 1850, stained glass artists were at last able to obtain glass of a quality matching that of the Middle Ages.
A number of influential historical studies in 1840-50 gave craftsmen and designers invaluable information about the Middle Ages. The most important were by Charles Winston, a patent lawyer and amateur historian. His studies made him aware of the short-comings of the glass available to artist of his own day, which was often thin and garish in colour.
In 1847 he encouraged experiments designed to rediscover the chemical components of medieval glass and persuaded the London firm of James Powell $ Sons to make 'antique' glass to his recipes. . At the same time Pugin was encouraging similar experiments by the Birmingham firm of John Hardman.
A series of important restorations of medieval windows, including those in Bristol and Glouscester Cathedrals, gave stained glass artists valuable first-ham experience of old glass. By 1850, stained glass artists were at last able to obtain glass of a quality matching that of the Middle Ages.
A working Studio in the 19th century
The diversity of a firm's offering would include figures under canopies, memorial windows, coats of arms, ornamental stencilled windows, embossed and enamelled work, landscape windows for hall and stairways, and bent glass.
The diversity of a firm's offering would include figures under canopies, memorial windows, coats of arms, ornamental stencilled windows, embossed and enamelled work, landscape windows for hall and stairways, and bent glass.
Victorian Revival
The full extent of the revival of the Medieval style, known as Gothic Revival, was illustrated at the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851. One of the most spectacular displays was the Gothic Court where twenty-five stained glass studios exhibited. However, with the exception of the works by Pugin and Hardman, British works were generally considered inferior to the European exhibits. Windows based on a wide variety of different medieval styles were n display and a number of firms were still offering enamel glass-paintings in the 18th-century fashion.
A decade later the situation was transformed, windows based on the art of the 13th and early 14th centuries dominated the scene. This transformation had been brought about by a younger generation of architects. Under their enthusiastic influence, new stained glass studios were formed - Clayton & Bell, Heaton & Butler and Lavers & Barraud were all established in 1855. In terms of design and the quality of manufacture, British stained glass was now second to none.
The full extent of the revival of the Medieval style, known as Gothic Revival, was illustrated at the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851. One of the most spectacular displays was the Gothic Court where twenty-five stained glass studios exhibited. However, with the exception of the works by Pugin and Hardman, British works were generally considered inferior to the European exhibits. Windows based on a wide variety of different medieval styles were n display and a number of firms were still offering enamel glass-paintings in the 18th-century fashion.
A decade later the situation was transformed, windows based on the art of the 13th and early 14th centuries dominated the scene. This transformation had been brought about by a younger generation of architects. Under their enthusiastic influence, new stained glass studios were formed - Clayton & Bell, Heaton & Butler and Lavers & Barraud were all established in 1855. In terms of design and the quality of manufacture, British stained glass was now second to none.
Scottish Glass
Scotland had now surviving stained-glass tradition to pass on to its artists of the 19th century. Religious strife, neglect and a gradual loss of skill in the craft resulted over a period of 250 years in the virtual elimination of medieval stained glass from Scotland.
A revival began relatively late in the 19th century and from the outset, Scottish artists were far more responsive to Continental Art Nouveau than their English counterparts. By the 1890s, Glasgow had emerged as Scoltland's foremost city of art.
Daniel Cottier and then Charles Rennie Mackintosh were artist with international regulations and an influence that extended beyond Scotland's borders. The firm of J & W Guthrie employed a succession of talented freelance designers who produced exciting and distinctive stained glass. Two of the most highly regarded artists are David Gault and J. Harrington Mann.
Scotland had now surviving stained-glass tradition to pass on to its artists of the 19th century. Religious strife, neglect and a gradual loss of skill in the craft resulted over a period of 250 years in the virtual elimination of medieval stained glass from Scotland.
A revival began relatively late in the 19th century and from the outset, Scottish artists were far more responsive to Continental Art Nouveau than their English counterparts. By the 1890s, Glasgow had emerged as Scoltland's foremost city of art.
Daniel Cottier and then Charles Rennie Mackintosh were artist with international regulations and an influence that extended beyond Scotland's borders. The firm of J & W Guthrie employed a succession of talented freelance designers who produced exciting and distinctive stained glass. Two of the most highly regarded artists are David Gault and J. Harrington Mann.
Growing Stylistic Freedom
From about 1870, artists felt much more freedom to experiement with new styles. Japanese art arrived in the West, intoducing an exotic element to European design. The established Victorian studios continued to work in Gothic style, but a number of influential free-lance designers, including Harry Ellis Wooldridge and Henry Holiday, began to transform the work of the older studios.
Holiday's work introduced more natural figure drawing and brought back the sculptural styles of Greece, Rome and 15-16th century Italy to the firm of James Powell & Sons and Lavers & Barraud. The painting of the 15th and early 16th centuries in the Netherlands and in Germany influenced the firms of Charles Earner Kempe and Burlison & Grylls. Their windows make more use of white glass and yellow stain and a far lighter painting style.
Following a period in which stained glass had slavishly copied the art of the medieval past, artists were now free from these limitations in the style of their work.
From about 1870, artists felt much more freedom to experiement with new styles. Japanese art arrived in the West, intoducing an exotic element to European design. The established Victorian studios continued to work in Gothic style, but a number of influential free-lance designers, including Harry Ellis Wooldridge and Henry Holiday, began to transform the work of the older studios.
Holiday's work introduced more natural figure drawing and brought back the sculptural styles of Greece, Rome and 15-16th century Italy to the firm of James Powell & Sons and Lavers & Barraud. The painting of the 15th and early 16th centuries in the Netherlands and in Germany influenced the firms of Charles Earner Kempe and Burlison & Grylls. Their windows make more use of white glass and yellow stain and a far lighter painting style.
Following a period in which stained glass had slavishly copied the art of the medieval past, artists were now free from these limitations in the style of their work.
William Morris & his Circle
William Morris and Edward Burn-Jones were two of the most influential figures in Victorian art and design who met as theological students in Oxford in the 1850s. They gave up their plans to enter the Church and took up art instead. In 1861, in partnership with artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Ford Made Brown, the architect Philip Webb and others, they established the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company.
Although the firm made furniture, tiles and textiles, stained glass was always an important part of their output. A subtile and original approach to colour and a fresh approach to design characterized their work. Their windows evolved the romance and pageantry of the Middle Ages.
In the mid-170s, Burn-Jones became the firm's chief designer. His work was increasingly influenced by Italian Renaissance art. This was combined with Morris's genius for pattern, familiar in this designs for wallpaper and textiles and in the colourful rich foliage in the glass in the firm's windows. Some of their finest work can still seen at Jesus College and Peterhouse in Cambridge.
William Morris and Edward Burn-Jones were two of the most influential figures in Victorian art and design who met as theological students in Oxford in the 1850s. They gave up their plans to enter the Church and took up art instead. In 1861, in partnership with artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Ford Made Brown, the architect Philip Webb and others, they established the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company.
Although the firm made furniture, tiles and textiles, stained glass was always an important part of their output. A subtile and original approach to colour and a fresh approach to design characterized their work. Their windows evolved the romance and pageantry of the Middle Ages.
In the mid-170s, Burn-Jones became the firm's chief designer. His work was increasingly influenced by Italian Renaissance art. This was combined with Morris's genius for pattern, familiar in this designs for wallpaper and textiles and in the colourful rich foliage in the glass in the firm's windows. Some of their finest work can still seen at Jesus College and Peterhouse in Cambridge.
The Arts and Crafts Movement
Although William Morris had seen the medieval artist-craftsman as an ideal, pressure for the firm to be profitable frustrated his efforts to copy medieval studio conditions. A younger generation of artists and craft-workers emerged in the 1890s - working independently in small-scale studios. In an industrial age, they were committed to 'honest' simple design. Their inspiration was often drawn from the ordinary object to be found in simple rural homes.
The stained glass artist and teacher, Christopher Hall, was a leading figure. His influential manual Stained Glass Work was published in 1905 and is still read and admired to this day.
Arts and Crafts stained glass is characterized by the quality and colour of the glass, the naturalistic figure style and canopy and border decoration inspired by the natural world.
Although William Morris had seen the medieval artist-craftsman as an ideal, pressure for the firm to be profitable frustrated his efforts to copy medieval studio conditions. A younger generation of artists and craft-workers emerged in the 1890s - working independently in small-scale studios. In an industrial age, they were committed to 'honest' simple design. Their inspiration was often drawn from the ordinary object to be found in simple rural homes.
The stained glass artist and teacher, Christopher Hall, was a leading figure. His influential manual Stained Glass Work was published in 1905 and is still read and admired to this day.
Arts and Crafts stained glass is characterized by the quality and colour of the glass, the naturalistic figure style and canopy and border decoration inspired by the natural world.
Slab Glass
In 1889, the architect E.S. Prior encouraged the London glass firm of Britten and Gilson to make a new kind of glass for the windows he was designing and restoring. The glass was blown into a box-shaped mould, producing a five-sided rectangular bottle. Cutting the bottle along its edges produced five small sheets of uneven thickness.
Prior's Early English Slab soon had its imitators, and it was still being produced well into the 1940s. W. E Chance in Birmingham made Norman Slabs, as did James Powell & Sons of London and Hartley Woods of Sunderland.
Slab glass became closely associated with Arts and Crafts stained glass. Its very uneven thickness gives it colour of an exceptional intensity and a sparkling, jewel-like quality. Streaky and pale tinted slabs were used in contrast with sumptuous colour, including the distinctive gold pink made by adding gold dust to the molten glass mixture.
In 1889, the architect E.S. Prior encouraged the London glass firm of Britten and Gilson to make a new kind of glass for the windows he was designing and restoring. The glass was blown into a box-shaped mould, producing a five-sided rectangular bottle. Cutting the bottle along its edges produced five small sheets of uneven thickness.
Prior's Early English Slab soon had its imitators, and it was still being produced well into the 1940s. W. E Chance in Birmingham made Norman Slabs, as did James Powell & Sons of London and Hartley Woods of Sunderland.
Slab glass became closely associated with Arts and Crafts stained glass. Its very uneven thickness gives it colour of an exceptional intensity and a sparkling, jewel-like quality. Streaky and pale tinted slabs were used in contrast with sumptuous colour, including the distinctive gold pink made by adding gold dust to the molten glass mixture.
The Glass House
In 1897, the artist and compaigner for women's suffrage, Mary Lowndes, formed a partnership with craftsman Alfred Drury. In 1906, the firm of Lowndes & Drury moved to custom-built premises in Lettice Street in Fulham in London.
The Glass House, as it was known, became an inspirational centre for Arts and Crafts stained glass in Britain. Any freelance designer could rent one of the first-floor studios and make use of the workshop facilities and expertise of the staff. The company also stocked an enormous range and variety of glass. Victorian stained glass studiounswere usefully managed by men so the Glass House was especially encouraging to the growing number of talented women artists drawn to stained glass.
Among the artists represented in the Museum's collection, Karl Parsons, Henry Holiday, Margaret Aldrich Rope, Evie Hone, Moira Forsyth, Hugh Arnold, Francis Spear and Carl Edwards all worked at the Glass House. The last stained glass artists left Lettice Street in 1992.
In 1897, the artist and compaigner for women's suffrage, Mary Lowndes, formed a partnership with craftsman Alfred Drury. In 1906, the firm of Lowndes & Drury moved to custom-built premises in Lettice Street in Fulham in London.
The Glass House, as it was known, became an inspirational centre for Arts and Crafts stained glass in Britain. Any freelance designer could rent one of the first-floor studios and make use of the workshop facilities and expertise of the staff. The company also stocked an enormous range and variety of glass. Victorian stained glass studiounswere usefully managed by men so the Glass House was especially encouraging to the growing number of talented women artists drawn to stained glass.
Among the artists represented in the Museum's collection, Karl Parsons, Henry Holiday, Margaret Aldrich Rope, Evie Hone, Moira Forsyth, Hugh Arnold, Francis Spear and Carl Edwards all worked at the Glass House. The last stained glass artists left Lettice Street in 1992.
The Twentieth Century - Style and Influences
The early twentieth century was a time when many styles and influences converged. It was an era of unprecedented artistic diversity. In Ireland, the Celtic revival in arts and literature championed Irish folklore and language. In Britain, the Arts and Crafts movement followed in the footsteps of the pre-Raphaelites, espousing fine craftsmanship in the face of increased industrialization. In Europe he style of art nouveau placed importance on ornamentation and quality craftsmanship. In France, symbolism emerged as a highly imaginative art form, rooted in fantasy and imagination. In Vienna, the secessionists, including Klimt, experimented with highly decorative artworks. In the mid 1920s the international style for decorative arts became known as art deco, where elegance and functionality were espoused.
In the 1920s and 1930s, architects influenced by the Bauhaus in Germany and Frank Lloyd Wright in America, created a new architectural language that owed little to the styles of the past. Buildings of the modern movement were characterized by clean lines and an absence of surface decoration.
Large areas of glass combined with rhythmic lead-lines, and the acid-etching and sand blasting of plate glass, provided a cheaper method of glazing large areas, suitable for modern offices and commercial buildings. The use of painted decoration declined.
In France, use of dalles de verse became popular. Thick, cast slabs of glass unpainted but facetted with a tungsten hammer, were held in a web of epoxy resin or concrete. The best-known English examples are n Coventry and liverpool Metropolitan Cathedrals, designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens.
Other noteworthy European artists have designed stained-glass windows, in both figurative and abstract veins, among them Chagall and Matisse (notably at Venice in the South of France). Trends in the United States appeared in the era when Louis Comfort Tiffany and John LaFarge were making radical technical innovations (See Stained Glass in the U.S.).
The early twentieth century was a time when many styles and influences converged. It was an era of unprecedented artistic diversity. In Ireland, the Celtic revival in arts and literature championed Irish folklore and language. In Britain, the Arts and Crafts movement followed in the footsteps of the pre-Raphaelites, espousing fine craftsmanship in the face of increased industrialization. In Europe he style of art nouveau placed importance on ornamentation and quality craftsmanship. In France, symbolism emerged as a highly imaginative art form, rooted in fantasy and imagination. In Vienna, the secessionists, including Klimt, experimented with highly decorative artworks. In the mid 1920s the international style for decorative arts became known as art deco, where elegance and functionality were espoused.
In the 1920s and 1930s, architects influenced by the Bauhaus in Germany and Frank Lloyd Wright in America, created a new architectural language that owed little to the styles of the past. Buildings of the modern movement were characterized by clean lines and an absence of surface decoration.
Large areas of glass combined with rhythmic lead-lines, and the acid-etching and sand blasting of plate glass, provided a cheaper method of glazing large areas, suitable for modern offices and commercial buildings. The use of painted decoration declined.
In France, use of dalles de verse became popular. Thick, cast slabs of glass unpainted but facetted with a tungsten hammer, were held in a web of epoxy resin or concrete. The best-known English examples are n Coventry and liverpool Metropolitan Cathedrals, designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens.
Other noteworthy European artists have designed stained-glass windows, in both figurative and abstract veins, among them Chagall and Matisse (notably at Venice in the South of France). Trends in the United States appeared in the era when Louis Comfort Tiffany and John LaFarge were making radical technical innovations (See Stained Glass in the U.S.).
 Title: Architectural Glass - Brookfield Court.
RN: A1-9867.
Location: Toronto.
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Architectural Glass - Printing on to glass with leading edge digital technology
Experimental techniques have also transformed approaches to the use of coloured glass in buildings. Double=glazing, artificial lighting and computer-generated design present new opportunities. New 2-D printers can etch designs in ceramic ink right onto giant panes of glass - company logos, artwork, really anything the creative mind can come up with.
Experimental techniques have also transformed approaches to the use of coloured glass in buildings. Double=glazing, artificial lighting and computer-generated design present new opportunities. New 2-D printers can etch designs in ceramic ink right onto giant panes of glass - company logos, artwork, really anything the creative mind can come up with.
Links
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Go to: www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/stained_glass/
Lamberts. The Glassmaking Company, Germany
Go to: www.lamberts.de/en/
Art History with Michelli
Go to: www.plinia.net
Go to: www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/stained_glass/
Lamberts. The Glassmaking Company, Germany
Go to: www.lamberts.de/en/
Art History with Michelli
Go to: www.plinia.net
19th - 20th Centuries
Title: Medieval style Stained Glass, 19th century.
RN: A1-6871.
Location: Ely Stained Glass Musuem.
Title: Archangel St Michael, c.1876 by Powell & Sons.
RN.: A1-6864.
Location: Weybridge Church, England.
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Title: St. George, Victorian
RN: A1-0866.
Location: St. Michael's Mount.
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Ely Stained Glass Museum - Highlights from the Collection
Title: St Paul Preaching at Athens, c.1820.
RN: A1-6780.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
All images taken in museums (marked by "RN") are not for sale and are for educational purposes only
Title: Panel - Ministering to the Sick, c.1907.
RN: A1-6813.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Title: St Joseph and the Angel, c.1920 by Wilhelmina Geddes (1887-1955).
RN: A1--6828.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Click to enlarge image.
Title: Dancing Girl, c.1920s.Willaim Morris.
RN: A1-6819.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Title: The May Queen, c.1900.
RN: A1-6807.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Title: Sailing Ship, c1920 by Leonard Walker (1877-1964).RN.: A1-6837.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Title: Stamped Quarries, c. 1849.
RN: A1-6787.
Location: Ely SG Museum, England.
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Title: Window, All Saints Arts and Crafts Church, c. 1916.
RN: A1-8789.
Location: Herefordshire, Brockhampton
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Title: Modern Family Memorial Window.
RN A1-8718.
Location: English Country Church
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Lacock Abbey, England
Photographic inventions
Lattice window at Lacock Abbey. In August 1835, a positive image of this window was taken by Henry Fox Talbot from what may be the oldest existing camera negative. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fox_Talbot
Photographic inventions
Lattice window at Lacock Abbey. In August 1835, a positive image of this window was taken by Henry Fox Talbot from what may be the oldest existing camera negative. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fox_Talbot
Title: Latticed Window at Lacock Abbey, 13th century.
RN: A1-3772.
Click to enlarge image. Images for educational purposes only
Glass Heritage in France
Title: Glass Panes, Chapter House, c1150-1190, Benedictine priory of Saint John Le Bar-Nueil.
RN: A1-0743.
Location: West central France.
Title: Messages from Ephesus before Emperor Theodosius 11, c.1200-1220.
RN: A1-0771.
Location: France.
Glass from Germany
Title: Stained Glass, Munich, mid-16th century.
RN: A1-8270.
Location: Germany (Collection of Flint Art & Antiques, Lenox, MA).
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Title: Stained Glass, Village Scene, mid-16th Century.
RN: A1-8272.
Location: Germany (Collection of Flint Art & Antiques, Lenox, MA).
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Title: Stained Glass, Figures of Armed Men. Albrecht Durer, c.1515.
RN: A1-8274.
Location: Germany (Flint Art & Antiques Collection, Lenox, MA).
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Title: Stained Glass, Munich, mid-16th Century.
RN: A1-8277.
Location: Germany, (Flint Art & Antiques, Lenox, MA).
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Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe when he was still in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints. Wikipedia
Durer had his own glass workshop.
Durer had his own glass workshop.
Glass from Portugal & Spain
Title: Royal Family and Portugal symbols.
RN: A1-2222.
Location: Pena National Palace, Sintra.
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Title: Religious Stained Glass Window, Union des Artistes Vidreiros Iron, c.1923.
RN: A1-4464,
Location: Iglesis de Nuestra Señora de La Concepcion, La Laguna, Canary Islands.
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Title: Stained Glass, 18th C.
Order No.: A1-4546.
Location: Church of Santo Domingo, c.1522. La Laguna, Canary Islands.
Glass in Switzerland
Title: Stained Glass Window.
RN: A1-6579.
Location: Cathedral of St. Nicolas de Myre, Fribourg.
Title: Decorative Panels.
RN: A1-6617.
Location: Cathedral of St. Nicolas de Myre, Fribourg.
Title: Fountain in Garden, modern.
RN: A1-6574.
Location: Fribourg.
Glass from Sweden
Title: Field Scene, modern, c. 1909.
RN: A1-6069.
Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
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Title: Christ on the cross, c. early 1900s
RN: A1-5778.
Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
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Glass from New Zealand
Title: Modern Stained Glass, New Zealand Scene.
RN: A1-2021.
Location: Christ Church, Nelson, South Island.