Stained glass: The splendid history of ancient art that dazzles us to this day.
For thousands of years, many artisans have found inspiration in glass, as, in any of its forms, it can produce extraordinary works of art. However, when colored, the medium takes on new kaleidoscopic forms.
Although often associated with windows and places of worship, stained glass has been adopted and adapted for all types of art, from antique mugs to contemporary installations. However, before talking about the ancient history of stained glass, it is important to know the main characteristics of this medium.
What is a stained glass window?
Stained glass, also called polychrome stained glass, is made up of glass that has been colored with metallic oxides during its manufacturing process. Different compounds produce different shades, allowing artisans to obtain a glass of specific colors. Adding copper oxide to molten glass, for example, will produce green and bluish tones.
Once the glass has cooled, it can be assembled to produce decorative works of art. These fragments can be held in place by various materials, including lead, stone, and copper foil.
History
ANTIQUE OBJECTS
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.
The Lycurgus cup is a caged cup made of dichroic glass — a medium that changes color depending on the direction of the light. When illuminated from within, the glass turns red; if it is lit from outside, it becomes dull green.
How did ancient Roman craftsmen create such a goblet? Today, the process to create this piece remains a mystery. Although historians are sure that drops of gold and silver in the glass are responsible for the color changes, they believe that it is likely that the glass was created this way by accident, since no other piece of dichroic glass from that time has the same. same color contrast.
“The Licurco cup is an example of a short-lived technology developed in the 4th century by Roman glassmakers,” explains a team of art historians at The Lycurgus Cup – A Roman Nanotechnology . “Today we know that these effects are due to the development of nanoparticles in glass. However, the inability to control the coloring process meant that relatively few pieces of glass of this type were produced, and even fewer survive ”.
Still, the Licurco glass is celebrated as one of the most important works of ancient glass, and art historian Donald Harden even called it “the most spectacular glass of the time, perfectly decorated, that we are aware of.”
MEDIEVAL MONASTERIES
At the arrival of the 7th century, craftsmen began to change their approach, putting objects aside to concentrate on windows. 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.
Created during the founding of the monastery in AD 686, some fragments of these ancient windows were excavated by archaeologists Rosemary Cramp in 1973. While the original composition of the blue, green, gold, and yellow glass is unknown, the monastery formed collages with them to give the public an idea of how beautiful these windows must have been.
“When we picked it up, it was like lifting jewelry off the floor,” explains Professor Rosemary Cramp in an audio guide at the site, “and it still allows us to imagine how beautiful it was.”
GOTHIC CATHEDRALS
In the Middle Ages, stained glass was present in countless Catholic churches throughout Europe. However, until the 12th century, these windows were relatively simple, small, and were often surrounded by thick iron frames. This is because Romanesque architecture — a style characterized by thick walls and round shapes — predominated at the time.
That said, in the 12th century the Romanesque style was replaced by Gothic architecture. Unlike Romanesque buildings, churches and cathedrals built in this style show a clear interest in height and light. This approach is evident in all aspects of Gothic design, including tall spiers, delicate thin walls, and of course large stained glass windows.
Gothic windows usually have two forms: high-rise lanceolate windows or round rosettes . In both cases, they are often monumental in scale and feature incredible detail — something made possible by the use of tracery, a decorative but durable stone element. Thanks to their size and complexity, Gothic stained glass windows let in more light than ever.
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
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 .
In this manuscript, Jābir ibn Ḥayyān offers dozens of “recipes” for stained glass and artificial gems. According to the author, experimentation was essential to create high-quality glass. “The first essential element of chemistry is that you have to do practical work and experiments because whoever does not do them will not achieve even the smallest degree of mastery,” he wrote. “Scientists do not delight in the abundance of material; they only rejoice at the excellence of their experimental methods. “
Back then, the glass industries boomed in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Iran. Artisans in these regions adopted and adapted the ancient Roman milieu, using it to adorn mosques, palaces, and other basic elements of Islamic architecture with complex, colorful windows. These pieces became more and more elaborate over time.
Historians believe that Jābir ibn Ḥayyān’s creative approach perfectly illustrates the practice of stained glass in the Islamic world. “Muslim and non-Muslim glassmakers working in Islamic areas… were extraordinarily creative,” writes historian Josef W. Meri in Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia , “and in tune with the general evolution of Islamic art, he brought this craft to a new technical, technological and artistic level ”.
AMERICAN ARTS
In the 19th century, several American artisans succeeded in modernizing the ancient art of stained glass. This is particularly evident in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright , pioneer of the Prairie School, an architectural and interior style that celebrates artisanal making and connecting with nature.
Transparent windows with polychrome accents became an essential part of Wright’s interiors. These accents materialized in the form of “ uninterrupted glass ribbons ” with “unique geometric abstractions in each building for which they were created”, making each window a unique work of art.
At the same time that Wright was producing his windows, another American glazier successfully reinterpreted this ancient art form. 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 lamps fell out of fashion in the mid-20th century, they have recently been the subject of renewed interest, and are still prized by collectors today.
STAINED GLASS TODAY
Today, several contemporary glassmakers keep this ancient art alive. Like their 20th century predecessors, these artists continue to invent new creative ways to reinterpret the medium.
Whether you are wearing glasses to beautify the skyline of New York City, improve a charming cottage or have a botanical garden flourish in new ways, these artists prove that the windows are anything but outdated.