The Eastern (and possibly the earlier) practice was to
set chips of colored glass in a heavy fretwork of stone or to imbed them in
plaster. in a medieval window they were held together by strips of lead, in
section something like the letter H, the upright strokes of which represent
the tapes extending on either side well over the edges of the glass, and the
crossbar the connecting core between them. The leading was soldered together
at the points of junction, cement or putty was rubbed into the crevices
between glass and lead, and the window was attached (by means of copper
wires soldered on to the leads) to iron saddle-bars let into the masonry.
The term "stained glass" today generally refers to glass that has been
colored by added metallic salts during its manufacture. For example,
using the metal copper would produce green or blue glass. The molten glass
is then annealed slowly 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. The
keynote of Late Gothic glass is brilliancy. It had a silvery quality. The
15th century was the period of white glass, which approached at last to
colorlessness, and was employed in great profusion. Canopy work, more
universal than ever, was represented almost entirely in white touched with
yellow stain, but not in sufficient quantities to impair its silver ness.
Whatever the banality of the idea of imitation stonework in glass, the
effect of thus framing colored pictures in delicate white is admirable: at
last we have white and color in perfect combination. Fifteenth-century
figure work contains usually a large proportion of white glass; flesh tint
is represented by white; there is white in the drapery; in short, there is
always white enough in the figures to connect them with the canopy work and
make the whole effect one. The preponderance of white will be better
appreciated when it is stated that very often not a fifth or sixth part of
the glass is colored. It is no uncommon thing to find figures draped
entirely in white with only a little color in the background; and figure
work all in grisaille upon a ground of white latticework is quite
characteristic of Perpendicular glass.
Techniques of stained glass window construction were described by the monk
Theophilus who wrote a how to for craftsmen about 1100 AD. It describes
methods little changed over 900 years: "if you want to assemble simple
windows, first mark out the dimensions of their length and breadth on a
wooden board, then draw scroll work or anything else that pleases you, and
select colors that are to be put in. Cut the glass and fit the pieces
together with the grazing iron. Enclose them with lead cames and solder on
both sides. Surround it with a wooden frame strengthened with mails and set
it up in the place where you wish."
The artistry and skill, that
had reached their zenith during the Gothic period, became a lost art. During
the nineteenth century Sir Joshua Reynolds and other luminaries completely
disregarded the medium and continued using enamel in this vein. For
approximately two hundred years stained glass fell out of favor due to
massive destruction, religious iconoclasm, preference for Renaissance
styles, the rise in enamels usage, and a lack of knowledge of old
techniques. Stained glass was not widely produced and did not again receive
critical attention until its revival in the nineteenth century.
John Lafarge and Louis Comfort Tiffany were two
American painters who began experimenting with glass. Contemporaries, but
working independently, they were trying to develop glass that possessed a
wide range of visual effects without painting. They soon became competitors.
Lafarge developed and copyrighted opalescent glass in 1879. Tiffany
popularized it and his name became synonymous with opalescent glass and the
American glass movement. Lafarge and Tiffany used intricate cuts and richly
colored glasses within in detailed, flowing designs. Plating, or layering
glass layers, achieved depth and texture. Both made windows for private
homes as well as churches.
The process of using thin strips of copper as a
substitute for lead came allowed for intricate sections within windows.
Tiffany adapted the technique to construct lampshades and capitalized on the
new innovation of electric lighting. Tiffany’s customers were wealthy, turn
of the century families including the Vanderbilt's' and Asters. The Tiffany
style prompted many imitators and opalescent windows and shades remained
popular through the turn of the century.
Stained glass, or more appropriate art glass, is all around us today. An
explosion of interest in the last 30 years has give rise to many new and
imaginative forms of this art. The rise of the individual artist, new
technologies and the growing interest in stained glass as a hobby craft have
all lead to what is being called A a new golden age in glass. New homes are
frequently embellished with spectacular beveled glass entryways, stained
glass bathroom windows and Tiffany style lampshades. Decorative panels are
purchased just to hang in a sunny window. Marvelous hot formed glass pieces
adorn tables, walls, shelves and fill windows. New artists are combining,
creating and developing unique new forms and styles every day. |
