Flying Colors: Stained Glass Throughout the Ages to Now
Stained glass whether really stained or painted, may do more than decorate. It also may tell us a story, hide an ugly view, bring in needed mild or even block out a lot of light. Regardless of its intention, stained glass might be inspired by the styles of the past and reimagined for now.
Solarium Design Group Ltd..
Glazing in windows has been created by the Romans in the first century. Glass slabs were cast into discs via a blowing technique; the discs were then shaped into different shapes. Around the sixth century, artisans found that should they blended iron filings and powdered glass into a paste, painted images onto glass with the paste, then fired the glass at a temperature close to its melting point, the drawings would become permanent.
These ornamental windows mostly adorned rich Romans baths and palaces. It was only around A.D. 313, when Christians were allowed to worship publicly and Byzantine churches were built, that stained glass turned into an art form known to the nonwealthy.
This leaded glass dome is a fantastic example of what a true artisan can attain.
Whitestone Builders
Romanesque stained glass improved in manufacturing throughout the ninth century since the building of churches improved, and it continued well into the 12th century. Influenced by linear patterning and abstract Byzantine art, the somewhat small windows were designed to allow as much light as possible. The designs often depicted individual figures in lozenge- or diamond-shaped groups, though stained glass in the 12th century also saw the introduction of narrative windows — a series of painted medallions that tells a story.
Stained glass artists were also influenced by equally cloisonné enamel and mosaics. Using lead for a frame, they put bits of big colored glass into the framework. These bits were another step up from the little wall decorations.
When you’ve got a window you will need to be personal, treat it as this. Not only do you resolve the privacy issue using stained glass, but you allow in light and make beauty at the same moment.
SPACE Architects + Planners
Stained glass from the 13th century flourished as Gothic churches grew in popularity. The windows enabled for a more complex layout approach. Red and blue were the key colors of choice, but the backgrounds became darker. The tales became more complex and sequential, with all the boundaries more formal and elaborate.
A technique referred to as flashed glass became widespread in this time. To avoid glass from being opaque, glaziers trimmed a thin coating of dark colored hot glass into a thick coating of hot clear glass.
The stained glass in this historic 19th-century Queen Anne–fashion home is simply magnificent.
Catalano Architects
Fourteenth-century stained glass windows in some European cathedrals utilized the Grisaille layout. Grisaille windows are monochromatic panes of light glass, with either brown or black outlines. The style often imitates sculpture and helps flaunt contrasting colors.
Grisaille designs became popular because a church priests believed that the monks were being distracted from their duties by the storytelling from the detailed richly stained glass windows. Lancet windows with geometric patterns also became an alternative.
This coffered ceiling goes the additional mile. The stained glass optimizes the usage of light in what could be another hallway.
Morava Glass Studio
Renaissance stained glass brought a wealth of fresh ideas and techniques. Silver, gold, olive and brown colors were introduced by the French. A lot more white glass has been used in this age, too.
Artisans who sought to look to the wealthy were rewarded handsomely. In both the residential and religious images, attention to detail has been vital. Images depicting activities like glazing and tiling often sat happily alongside sacred imagery in both churches and houses.
These stained glass panels act like pieces of artwork, breaking up the horizontal lines of the window.
My House Design Build Team
Stained glass in the 18th century declined as a art form as a result of Reformation, when theChurch of England broke away from the jurisdiction of the pope. Technical improvements also allowed several colors to be attained on a single piece of glass by using an enameling process, rather than the artist needing to color individual tiny panes of glass. Most European artisans had disappeared, with just the English glaziers carrying about the time-honored traditions.
By the time that the art nouveau movement came in the 19th century, stained glass was back. William Morris, the creator of the Arts and Crafts movement, was passionate about representing artisans such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti. In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s work was very well known.
This beautiful stained glass light fitting would’ve made William Morris proud.
Habitat Studio
Stained glass in the 21st century is as individual as the artist. This art form is as popular now as it has ever been. Artists often experiment with magnificent pieces, such as modern panels which surround door entries, ornamental ceiling and wall panels, light fittings and even furniture insets.
This photo is a fitting example of the modern artisan at work. The stained glass wall setup makes a glorious addition to this toilet, and it is a thoughtful approach to section off the toilet area.