who invented stained glass

When was the first stained glass made?

The French artist Maurice Denis discovering the work of Mehoffer in 1916 wrote in his journal, “This is a kind of stained glass all made new. It is newer and more beautiful than we make in France.” Some interpret this as an indication that modern French stained glass was really born in Switzerland and inspired by a Pole.

Who invented shatter proof glass?

A mixture of sand and potash was heated until it was molten, and then powdered minerals were added to create specific colors, hence the term stained glass. Accordingly, who made stained glass in the Middle Ages? Most of what is known about medieval stained-glass making comes from a twelfth-century German monk who called himself Theophilus. What is stained glass …

Who was the first to make stained glass windows?

The existence of stained glass dates back to the Roman Empire when some craftsmen began using colored glass to produce decorative objects. Although there are few fully intact pieces of stained glass from this period, the Lycurgus cup suggests …

Who invented toughened glass?

Jan 15, 2020 · Stained glass is most often used for windows, because the beauty of the glass is best seen when light passes through it. The process of coloring glass was probably invented in ancient Egypt. But it was during the Middle Ages that the making of stained - glass windows developed as a major art.

When was stained glass first created?

Evidence of stained glass windows have been documented in British monasteries as early as the 7th century, with the earliest known reference being 675 AD when Benedict Biscop commissioned French workmen to create the stained glass for the windows of the monastery of St Peter.

What is the origin of stained glass?

Evidence of stained glass dates back to the Ancient Roman Empire, when craftsman began using colored glass to produce decorative wares. While few fully in-tact stained glass pieces from this period exist, the Lycurgus Cup indicates that this practice emerged as early as the 4th century.Apr 28, 2019

Who made stained glass in the Middle Ages?

Abbot SugerThe heyday of Medieval religious stained glass took place between the 12th and 17th centuries. Abbot Suger, who lived in the 12th century and reveled in blue colors representing the "divine gloom," is considered the father of stained glass windows.Sep 16, 2019

What was the original purpose of stained glass windows?

Stained glass is believed to originate from the Middle East as a way to bring light into buildings but allow the building to be completely closed. There is evidence of mastery of creating stained glass in Rome and Egypt, and it is believed that those empires helped to spread the art form.Jun 20, 2017

Who first invented stained glass windows?

Stained glass has been used for thousands of years, beginning with the Ancient Romans and Egyptians, who produced small objects made from coloured glass. Stained glass windows in Britain can be traced back to the 7th century, with some early examples found in churches and monasteries.Sep 26, 2019

Did Romanesque churches have stained glass windows?

Romanesque Stained Glass Romanesque architecture is more uniform than the stained glass that adorns it. The walls are thick and the window openings small with rounded tops. Because the glass was set in small openings, it had to let in considerable light.

How was the first stained glass made?

To make stained glass, artisans mixed potash and sand to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit and added various metallic oxide powders to create different colors. The glass was then flattened into sheets while it was still pliable.Oct 2, 2015

What is the oldest stained glass window?

' The oldest known stained glass windows are those at Augsburg Cathedral in Bavaria, Germany, completed in the late 11th century.Jul 26, 2021

What is Cathedral stained glass?

Cathedral glass is the name given commercially to monochromatic sheet glass. It is thin by comparison with slab glass, may be coloured, and is textured on one side. The name draws from the fact that windows of stained glass were a feature of medieval European cathedrals from the 10th century onwards.

Who owns stained glass?

Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube is a TV producer of serial dramas mainly on prime TV through her production company Stained Glass which she co-owns with her sister producer Thuli Zuma; the pair has produced Ifalakhe for pay-per-view channel Mzansi Magic.

Why are church windows pointed?

Historically, they appear in Catholic and Protestant churches equally, although in modern church architecture they are generally restricted to Catholic structures. Their purpose is to provide light to the aisles, which are out of the range of clerestory window light.Sep 29, 2017

What are stained glass windows in churches called?

rose window, also called wheel window, in Gothic architecture, decorated circular window, often glazed with stained glass.

Where did stained glass originate?

The creation of stained glass in Southwest Asia began in ancient times. One of the region's earliest surviving formulations for the production of colored glass comes from the Assyrian city of Nineveh, dating to the seventh century BC. The Kitab al-Durra al-Maknuna, attributed to the 8th century alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān, discusses the production of colored glass in ancient Babylon and Egypt. The Kitab al-Durra al-Maknuna also describes how to create colored glass and artificial gemstones made from high-quality stained glass. The tradition of stained glass manufacture has continued, with mosques, palaces, and public spaces being decorated with stained glass throughout the Islamic world. The stained glass of Islam is generally non-pictorial and of purely geometric design, but may contain both floral motifs and text.

Who was the first English artist to make stained glass?

Among the most innovative English designers were the Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris (1834–1898) and Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898), whose work heralds the influential Arts & Crafts Movement, which regenerated stained glass throughout the English-speaking world. Amongst its most important exponents in England was Christopher Whall (1849-1924), author of the classic craft manual 'Stained Glass Work' (published London and New York, 1905), who advocated the direct involvement of designers in the making of their windows. His masterpiece is the series of windows (1898-1910) in the Lady Chapel at Gloucester Cathedral. Whall taught at London's Royal College of Art and Central School of Arts and Crafts: his many pupils and followers included Karl Parsons, Mary Lowndes, Henry Payne, Caroline Townshend, Veronica Whall (his daughter) and Paul Woodroffe. The Scottish artist Douglas Strachan (1875-1950), who was much influenced by Whall's example, developed the Arts & Crafts idiom in an expressionist manner, in which powerful imagery and meticulous technique are masterfully combined. In Ireland, a generation of young artists taught by Whall's pupil Alfred Child at Dublin's Metropolitan School of Art created a distinctive national school of stained glass: its leading representatives were Wilhelmina Geddes, Michael Healy and Harry Clarke.

Why are stained glass windows used in churches?

Stained glass windows were commonly used in churches for decorative and informative purposes. Many windows are donated to churches by members of the congregation as memorials of loved ones. For more information on the use of stained glass to depict religious subjects, see Poor Man's Bible .

What is stained glass?

The term stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material and to works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings.

How is crown glass made?

Crown glass. This hand-blown glass is created by blowing a bubble of air into a gather of molten glass and then spinning it , either by hand or on a table that revolves rapidly like a potter's wheel. The centrifugal force causes the molten bubble to open up and flatten. It can then be cut into small sheets.

Where is glass made?

Modern production of traditional glass. There are a number of glass factories, notably in Germany, the United States, England, France, Poland and Russia, which produce high-quality glass, both hand-blown (cylinder, muff, crown) and rolled (cathedral and opalescent).

Who designed the stained glass windows?

Probably the earliest scheme of stained glass windows that was created during the Renaissance was that for Florence Cathedral, devised by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The scheme includes three ocular windows for the dome and three for the facade which were designed from 1405 to 1445 by several of the most renowned artists of this period: Ghiberti, Donatello, Uccello and Andrea del Castagno. Each major ocular window contains a single picture drawn from the Life of Christ or the Life of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by a wide floral border, with two smaller facade windows by Ghiberti showing the martyred deacons, St Stephen and St Lawrence. One of the cupola windows has since been lost, and that by Donatello has lost nearly all of its painted details.

When did stained glass start?

The existence of stained glass dates back to the Roman Empire when some craftsmen began using colored glass to produce decorative objects. Although there are few fully intact pieces of stained glass from this period, the Lycurgus cup suggests that this practice existed as early as the 4th century.

What were stained glass windows used for?

Unsurprisingly, the colorful stained glass windows were used to adorn abbeys, convents, and other religious buildings, with St. Paul’s Monastery in Jarrow, England being the earliest known example.

When did stained glass reach the Middle East?

In the 8th century , stained glass reached the Middle East. The magic behind the medium is described in depth in Kitab al-Durra al-Maknuna (“The Book of the Hidden Pearl”), a book on polychrome glass written by the Persian chemist Jābir ibn Ḥayyān .

When was stained glass invented?

Stained glass was also produced by Arab architects in the Middle East in the 8th century. Jabir ibn Hayyan ,the Persian chemist described 46 original recipes for producing colored glass in Kitab al-Durra al-Maknuna (The Book of the Hidden Pearl). During the Gothic period (the 13th and 14th century) stained glass history expanded ...

What is the spread of Christianity?

The spread of Christianity throughout Europe is directly related to the expansion of stained glass across the globe and made stained glass the dominant art form of the new millennium. One of the oldest known examples of multiple pieces of colored glass used in a window were found at St. Paul's Monastery in Jarrow, England, founded in 686 AD.

How is stained glass made?

By mixing a specific formula of minerals and gems to molten sand, stained glass is created and each combination produces a different color. The term “stained glass” derives from the silver stain that was often applied to the side of the window that faces the outside of a building because, when the molten glass was fired, ...

Why were stained glass windows destroyed?

During the 1500s, the spread of Iconoclasm resulted in a number of stained glass windows throughout England being destroyed. In 1547, imagery in windows was specifically singled out for scrutiny for the first time. Many beautiful images were removed or destroyed in churches due to them being “contrary to the King’s majesty’s injunctions.” In short, icons, images, and monuments were destroyed, most commonly for religious or political reasons.

Why is stained glass important?

Stained glass is a beautiful and historical way to portray the Word of God so that everyone, even those who are illiterate, are able to understand.

What color is stained glass?

The color depends on each specific formula that is combined. For instance, when cobalt is added to the molten glass, it becomes a cobalt blue color.

What color does copper make?

Copper can also create a blue or blue-green color. Sulfur and cadmium create yellow glass, while iron produces greens and browns. Tin creates white glass, chrome creates emerald greens, and red use to be created by adding none other than gold.

Can you clean stained glass with water?

Stained glass isn’t like traditional glass that you can clean with a little bit of glass cleaner. Stained glass is most safely cleaned using water and a soft, non-abrasive sponge. Many stained glass pieces are sealed and will merely collect dust, however, it’s important to understand that harsh chemicals are to be avoided when cleaning your stained glass.

When were stained glass windows invented?

Rarely equalled and never surpassed, the great stained-glass windows of the 12th and early 13th centuries actually predate significant technical advances in the glassmaker’s craft by more than half a century.

What is stained glass?

stained glass, in the arts, the coloured glass used for making decorative windows and other objects through which light passes. Strictly speaking, all coloured glass is “stained,” or coloured by the addition of various metallic oxides while it is in a molten state. Nevertheless, the term stained glass has come to refer primarily to ...

When did stained glass start?

While few fully in-tact stained glass pieces from this period exist, the Lycurgus Cup indicates that this practice emerged as early as the 4th century.

When did stained glass windows start to be used?

By the 7th century , glassmakers began shifting their attention from wares to windows. As expected, these stained glass windows were used to adorn abbeys, convents, and other religious buildings, with St. Paul's Monastery in Jarrow, England as the earliest known example.

Why is experimentation important in chemistry?

To the author, experimentation was key to creating high-quality glass. “The first essential in chemistry is that you should perform practical work and conduct experiments, for he who performs not practical work nor makes experiments will never attain to the least degree of mastery,” he wrote.

What are some examples of additives in glass?

Different additives produce different hues, allowing artisans to strategically produce glass of specific colors. For example, adding copper oxides to molten glass will culminate in green and blue tones. Once the glass has cooled, it can be pieced together to produce works of decorative art.

Who made Tiffany glass lamps?

In 1885, Louis Comfort Tiffany established the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, a New York City-based studio that produced spectacular stained glass lamps. While these once-popular lamps fell out of fashion in the middle of the 20th century, they recently saw a revival and, today, remain coveted collector's items.

What is a lycurgus cup?

The Lycurgus Cup, 4th century CE (Photo: The British Museum CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) The Lycurgus Cup is an ornamental drinking glass made out of dichroic glass —a medium that changes color depending on the direction of the light.

Is stained glass still alive?

Today, contemporary stained glass artists keep the age-old art form alive. Like their 20th-century predecessors, these artists continue to come up with creative new ways to reinterpret the ancient craft.

Overview

History

Glass production

Colours

"Pot glass" colours

Creating stained-glass windows

Buildings incorporating stained glass windows

See also