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The Masterpiece Techniques of Stained Glass Window Making
by Devina Venter
http://www.fmwindow.com
Humans have long known how to fashion colored glass. Do you
know that prehistoric people knew how to make glass and add
metallic salts and oxides to clear glass to add color? As
ordinary light passes through the altered glass, the added
minerals filter the light such that only certain portions
of the color spectrum shine through and the result is the
appearance to the human eye of a solid color. Metallic
gold added to glass produces a cranberry color, while cobalt
results in a blue color; adding silver creates gold or
yellow tones while adding copper makes brick red or green.
Stained glass was is best known to us in the form of
stained glass windows that decorate old churches and
especially cathedrals. The first written record of the
techniques for making stained glass windows date back to
1100 A.D. From 1100 to 1300 A.D. was the time period for
building the Gothic great cathedrals of Europe and these
cathedrals are known for elegant stained glass windows.
During this time period the stained glass window was more
of a design than a picture. The concept of the era was
that the cathedrals were being built for the honor and
glory of God rather than for man.
The 1400 AD to 1700 AD period began with the 15th Century
High Gothic period where stained glass windows art evolved
into pictures. During this early period, some artisans
preferred to paint the glass rather than use parts of glass
panels to create a scene. By 300 years later, painting on
clear glass became the norm rather than the exception. Many
noble homes and public buildings showed off finely painted
glass pictures. Unfortunately, by the 1700s, churches
started to remove their stained glass window art and this
art fell out of style.
This move away from stained glass window paints didn't last
long. When the Gothic Revival movement in the middle of the
1800s was all the rage in England, many stained glass
windows started to appear among England's architecture.
Then, when European immigrants took this art to America,
American churches and cathedrals soon were decorated with
intricate stained glass windows. Once the average
middle-class started to place stained glass in their
doorways and side panels in the 1920s and 1930s, this art
form was soon seen at home.
During the last 30 years, a large resurgence of interest in
stained glass windows has gained momentum. While stained
glass is more modernly referred to as art glass, this glass
is now commonly seen free-hanging as a piece of decorative
art in anyone's home. In response to this craze, Andersen
Corporation, a U.S. manufacturer of quality windows and
doors, started a line of art glass windows and patio doors
patterned after Frank Lloyd Wright designs.
While the technique has changed little since its inception
many periods ago, many hundreds of devoted artisans continue
to make a living off this magical glass. In this modern
age, most services and projects requiring stained glass
artists involve restoring these treasured pieces in churches
and public buildings.
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