Stained glass

File:Stained.buckfast.750pix.jpg Buckfast Abbey, Devon, England. The panel is about 8 metres (26 feet) across. It was designed by the monks who live in the abbey
File:Marcelle-ferron.jpg Non-figurative stained glass in the Montreal metro by Marcelle Ferron
Abstract stained glass window for Beth El Congregation of Bethesda, Maryland by David Ascalon
A stained glass panel nine feet (three metres) high, in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bristol, England
Example of a stained glass window depicting Mr. Punch. Created by Steve Ignorant
Stained glass can be used for decorative purposes, such as this tabletop
200px	Stained glass is used here to decorate an unused fireplace

The term stained glass today generally refers to glass that has been colored by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. For example, copper can be used to produce green or blue glass. The molten glass is then annealed in a furnace to produce sheets of colored glass. Early stained glass artists were limited to a very few primary colors, but today almost any color can be produced.

File:Witraz wyspianskiego.jpg

Stained glass made by Stanisław Wyspiański in Franciscan Church in Kraków

If fine details such as shadows or outlines are required, the artist paints them on the cold glass with special paint made from metal oxides. The piece is then fired in a kiln. This process is, in itself, an art. The oxides permanently fuse with the glass to produce the painting. This is where we have derived the term "stained glass".

These colored glasses are available in many different textures—smooth, wavy, rippled, hammered, pebbled, or very rough. These different textures cause the glass to have light and color transmission characteristics that, even for the same color, can provide surprising results. Stained glass is sold by weight and by square foot in sheets, usually about 3' x 4'.

Stained glass windows involve the art of cutting colored glass into different shapes, then assembling the pieces using channeled lead-came strips, or copper-foil. Once assembled, the pieces are then soldered together and installed in a frame to create a window. For technical details, see Lead came and copper foil glasswork.

History

Begun in Eastern Asia and among Muslim designers, the art of stained glass reached its height in the Middle Ages, particularly 1150-1250. As the solid Romanesque wall was eliminated, the use of glass dramatically expanded. Integrated with the lofty verticals of Gothic cathedrals, large windows afforded greater illumination that was regarded as symbolic of divine grace.

In the nineteenth century, Romanticism and the Gothic revival caused renewed interest in stained glass. Important contributions to the art were made by William Morris (English, 1834-1898), Edward Burne-Jones (English, 1833-1898), John La Farge (American, 1835-1910) and Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848-1933).

Historians have long argued about whether La Farge or Tiffany invented the copper-foil alternative to lead came, but Tiffany is universally credited with developing an opalescent colored glass and with making extensive use of copper-foil in windows, lamps, and other decorations.

Stained glass is an art and a craft that requires the artistic skill to conceive of the design and the engineering skills necessary to assemble the piece so that it is capable of supporting its own weight and (for a window) surviving the elements.

After centuries of repetition and little innovation, stained glass underwent a major renaissance of form. The impetus for this new modern glass was the restoration of thousands of church windows throughout Europe, destroyed by World War II. German artists led the way, notable artists include Ervin Bossanyi, Ludwig Schaffrath, Johannes Shreiter and many others who transformed an ancient art form into a contemporary art form.

Today there are few academic establishments that teach the traditional skillset. One of those establishments is Florida State University's Master Craftsman Program who recently completed the world's largest secular stained-glass windows installed in Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. More info at Master Craftsman Program

See also

• Arts and crafts
• Art glass
• Beveled glass
• Favrile Iridescent Glass - Tiffany's technique to make stained glass art
• Cathedral glass
• Float glass
• G. Owen Bonawit
• Marc Chagall
• Glass mosaic
• Glassblowing
• Glass beadmaking
• Hot glass
• Stained glass windows
  • Churches - Stained glass windows are often used in more traditional church architectures, especially in the nave, to depict various saints and scenes from the Bible. This was especially important when the bulk of the population was illiterate. See also icon.
    • Important examples of stained glass windows include Sainte-Chapelle, in Paris, France and Cathedral of Chartres, in Chartres, France
  • Houses - Stained glass was particularly popular in the UK in the prosperous Victorian era and many domestic examples survive, typically depicting birds and flowers. Most of them rely on machine made patterned glass to refract the light rather than the more expensive hand-made glass used in church windows.
    • Prairie style homes
    • Frank Lloyd Wright
  • Public houses - In Britain, traditional pubs make extensive use of stained glass and leaded lights to create a comfortable atmosphere and retain privacy.
• Stained glass lamp / Lampshades
  • Prairie lamp
    • Frank Lloyd Wright
  • Tiffany lamp
    • Louis Comfort Tiffany
• Sculpture
  • Jim Gary - among the body of his work, he created many sculptures of stained glass, most were life-sized fine art and his subjects ranged from human figures to fish, butterflies, and prehistoric insects of gigantic proportions (by comparison to contemporary species). He also used stained glass in architectural sculptures and sculptures integrated into furniture commissions.
• Stained glass artists
• Venetian glass

External links

• The Stained Glass Museum (Ely, England)
• Preservation of stained glass