Stained glass, vitrail, is not really something I love. So how did I come to the idea of writing a blog post about it? Last year I had two projects where clients wanted to include a stained glass panel in their home. So I needed to do some research and I discovered that stained glass is more than a colorful panel in a church.
Stained glass can be simplified as colored glass, but is much more complex. It is a real piece of art done by well-trained craftsman. It is not just colored glass. It was usually used to make windows so that the light could shine through the painting. An art form more than 1000 years old and is still done in quite same way these days.
From where comes the term stained glass
It derives from the silver stain they applied with a brush, just as they would do with paint, on the reverse side of the glass, the one facing the outside of the building. Once the glass was fired the silver stain turned yellowish.
Some history
The Egyptians were already using colored glass to make vases and cups. The history of Egyptian glass dates back over 3,500 years, and Egypt was one of the first places on earth to master the art of crafting delicate and beautiful glass objects from raw materials.
Egyptian glass via Boha
The first stained glass dates from the 7th Century, in a window at St. Paul’s Monastery in Jarrow, England, founded in 686 AD. In the Middle Ages the stained glass in the churches was a way to visualize the scripture, as most people were illiterate, allowing believers to learn about their faith. The stained-glass windows were very popular in Europe in the period between 1150 and 1550, when the were a prominent feature of churches, cathedrals, and the mansions of the elite.
stained-glass-crucifiction via Merry Farmer
The technique of stained-glass making hardly changed since 12th Century. In the 14th Century they started to use the silver stain, this was an important innovation. It offered the stained-glass painters new possibilities for adding color at the stage of painting the glass.
How is the process of making stained glass window
We can say it is done in six basic steps.It all begins with a design, sized to fit the final stained glass work. The artist marked the drawing with letters and symbols to indicate the colors of each piece. The drawing, also called cartoon, showed the most important painted lines for the painter to include. The drawing also serves as a guide for cutting the glass. In the beginning probably the designer and the maker have been the same person. They have found sketches from the 16ht Century where there were written instructions on the sketch, so here the designer gave his drawings to a skilled craftsman.
Once the layout was approved the glazier of glass maker could start cutting the glass.
Second step is to choose the different colored glass and to outline the separate parts on it. They cut out the shapes roughly with the heated tip of a dividing iron. Applying this tip on the surface of the glass was causing it to break. The pieces were further reduced to the desired size with a grozing iron, to chip away at the edges until the exact shape was created. From the 16th century they would use diamond cutters for cutting the glass as they left cleaner edges.
Third step, the most skillful part, was to paint the glass pieces with a pigment, formed by mixing iron oxide, ground copper and gum arabic with powdered glass. Wine, urine, or vinegar was added to help apply the pigment to the glass. The painter would use a dense ink-like consistency for basic trace-lines, and a thinner wash to achieve shading and modeling. Paint was applied with brushes made of various animal hair. To texture and scratch out paint they would use sticks, needles even their fingers, this to control the light passing through the glass. Once painted those pieces were placed in a kiln, a wood-fired oven. The paint would be fixed on the surface of the glass by the heat of the kiln.
images via Discovery
As a forth step they start assembling the pieces together according to the design, with a narrow strip of lead, in H-shape, called cames. Lead is used because it is flexible, easy to fit around the various shapes.
Fifth step is the glazing. After the separate pieces are painted and fired they are being put in place on the cartoon, joined together by the lead strips. Preparing it so it can be set in a window. They use a combination of knife and hammer. The knife edge to cut of pieces, the hammer end to secure the nails to the work board to hold the edges in place during assembly. The sections are joined together with solder, an alloy of lead ad tin that melts easily at low temperature and sets quickly.
Last step is the cementing. The cementing, application of semi-liquid cement, is to secure the glass within the lead and to waterproof the window. A layer of chalk or sawdust will absorb the excess liquid. They use a dry brush to scrub down until the cement only remains under the lead.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848 - 1933) is maybe a name you might know. He is considered one of the most famous stained glass artists. His work is associated with the Arts and Craft movement and Art Nouveau. Louis Comfort Tiffany was trained as a traditional, artistic painter but got interested in glassmaking around 1875. In 1892 he founded his own glassworks, the Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces in Corona Queens. He hired experienced immigrant workers, who were then mostly Italian, German, and Irish. He would oversee more than 200 artists at a certain point. One of them was Clara Discroll who won a price with her Dragonfly lamp at the 1900 Paris Exposition. The lamp is still being produced. Later he also opened his own glass factory. In the 1910 - 1920 Tiffany’s glass fell out of favor and in 1932 ITiffany Studios filed for bankruptcy.
Art Deco, an influential art movement that thrived between the two world wars, still involved making striking, bold statements, by using symmetry, geometric patterns, gold, steel, glass, wood, chrome, in combination with vivid colors . They used stained glass panels in residential architecture to add elegance and an artistic flair. Travel got more popular and the hospitality industry was blooming. New hotels were build in this modern style, incorporating graphical elements to adorn the interior spaces as well as the exterior facades.
Small stained-glass window with an Art Deco decoration, circa 1940 via Marc Maison
Stained glass experiences a decline in popularity the 20th Century yet it never disappeared completely. In recent years, more and more contemporary designers and artists are rediscovering stained glass.
Inspired by the stained glass of the Middle Ages, many of today’s contemporary artists put a modern twist on medieval techniques.
Stained glass windows by Matisse for Rosary Chapel in South of France via Art Pilgrim
The Rosary Chapel, a 15 minutes walk from Vence, is still in use today. Every detail of the chapel was designed by Matisse, from the architecture, the stain glass windows, the murals and the priest’s vestments, all were carefully executed to his design. It is now considered one of the greatest religious sanctuaries of the 20th century.
"Lamentation", détail (2016), Kehinde Wiley - Petit Palais, Paris via Flickr
Kehinde Wiley draws on the tradition of classical painting masters such as Titan, Van Dyck, Ingres and David to create portraits drenched in color and abounding in adornment. The subjects are young Black and mixed-race people, anonymous models encountered during street castings. The result is a collision where art history and popular culture come face to face. For the Petit Palais show, Kehinde Wiley continued to explore religious iconography, with references to Christ and, for the first time, the figure of the Virgin.
bathroom via C Tendance
Stained glass windows can serve as a source of inspiration not only for the aesthetic qualities of church but also for the design of residential windows. Their designs can transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary ones.
image on the left via Paper City - Rondel Window by Theordore Ellison Design
A modern design stained glass window can bring an artsy and vibrant touch to a traditional countryside house. The light falling inside the room will bring a colorful touch that changes throughout the day.
candle holder Amazon - Lotus stained glass sun catcher Lumie glass
You can add some beautifully crafted stained glass objects in your home and bring a touch of elegance to your living space. Play with the light coming in from outside, the flame of a candle to enjoy the beauty of stained glass.
I must say after studying and doing research on stained glass I’m quite impressed by the work and I can see myself getting inspired in future to use some modern adaptations of this art work. What about you?
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