History of Stained Glass

 

Worldwide the history of stained glass windows rose with its early beginnings one country at a time. The development of stained glass has been a struggling endeavor to evolve into what it is today. It has been a constant learning process for each and every country and each individual artist. Much like the ever changing stained glass itself, the process, the skills and the beauty of the finished pieces change as our appreciation for the history of stained glass continues to grow.

 

 

The creation of stained glass was not even a concept in its early beginnings, but developed slowly over time until it finally became perfected as a work of art called stained glass. The history of stained glass windows begins to unfold as glass had to be invented first and it went through a series of discoveries before it became an every day reality such as glass window panes, paperweights, or bottles.

 

Once the ability to make glass was overcome the next natural step was to intensify the beauty of glass with what we term as “stained glass”. The evolution of using minerals (metallic oxides and salts) to stain the glass created a new vivid world of color, images and designs forming a new vision of artwork and highly decorative windows. The early history of stained glass began as building blocks taking us to the creative art forms you see today.

 

The first obvious appearance of stained glass showed up in churches in the 10th century, with biblical scenes in German and French churches. Many people were uneducated and these scenes were often used as a teaching method. Much of today’s beautiful stained glass windows can be attributed to the transformation of churches into cathedrals during the Gothic age in Europe. Buildings were becoming taller with larger openings in thinner walls. Rather than using clear glass, artists began incorporating stained glass windows into the buildings design.

 

By the18th century scientists, historians and amateur artists rediscovered the beauty of stained glass pieces and the history of stained glass was back on track! English immigrants by the name of the Bolton Brothers were one of the first artists to establish stained glass studios in America. It wasn’t long there after, that two famous American painters would begin to change the history of stained glass once again.

 

The time period was set in the mid 1800’s when Tiffany and Lafarge began glass experiments hoping to achieve some great visual effects, without painting glass as their predecessors had done. Today you know them from history as Louis Comfort Tiffany and John LaFarge. What had been a struggling time for the evolution of stained glass for centuries would now become the reality of stained glass today!

 

These two gentlemen were competing rivals, creating and reproducing ornate stained glass windows used in both churches and private residences. By 1879 LaFarge had designed, developed and copyrighted opalescent glass. Both Tiffany and LaFarge were experimenting with highly colored glass, elaborate cuts, glass layering and plating techniques. They both succeeded in creating stained glass pieces rich in texture, depth and color.

 

John LaFarge continued to develop his work in stained glass for churches and private homes and he remains a very important part of the history of stained glass that we know. Tiffany was highly effective at marketing his stained glass products and his reputation for making opalescent glass pieces grew as fast as his skills developed. The process of adopting copper in place of lead strips surrounded by colored glass was a new innovation and style for the times.

 

Tiffany either had the luck of the Irish or a stroke of genius, using his techniques to create decorative lamp shades for new electric lighting! Tiffany stained glass lamps are a part of the history of stained glass and highly in demand today. Louis Comfort Tiffany's ancestors still carry on his legacy with beautiful stained glass lamps, with designs handed down from one generation to another.

 

Using Glass Kilns to Warm Glass is an Antique Technique for Modern Design

 

Glass worming using a glass kiln is a very old procedure that preserved over the centuries. People used glass even before they knew how to make it. Natural glass created by lightening striking sand was used as knifes and jewelry. It is believed that glass manufacturers appeared around 3000 BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

 

Warm glass is obtained from mixing several colors of glass inside a kiln. It was used by Greeks and Romans to create mosaics. Jewelry made of worm glass was as appreciated as gold. The first beads and jars ever made were very poor quality. However after the invention of the blowpipe, a new technique appeared. The glassblowing highly improved the quality of jars and beads and also made them affordable and easy to do.

 

Glassmaking evolved during the extension of the Roman Empire. The Portland vase appeared at the beginning of the Christian era, and they were made by mixing different colors layers and cutting shapes in relief. During the next 2 millenniums the glassblowing replaced the kiln-heated glass. The climax of glassblowing was reached by the Venetian artists who were able to create vases, bowls and cups of almost any shape.

 

They managed to decorate those vases with beautiful complex designs.

At the beginning of the 20 century glass-worming was revitalized as a decorative art. It became very an appreciated technique in the modern art. Affordable kilns made this technique very popular in schools and also for the individual artists. To do that you have to mix several glass pieces of all kind of shapes and colors into an abstract or realistic pattern.

 

You can cut the glass pieced with a cutter and than separate them using a pliers. To make the small pieces stick together you can use some glue. Before placing the piece in the kiln you can cover it with a clean sheet. Amaco Company offers 2 kinds of glass kilns. The small model measures 10" by 9" wide and 9" high, which is very appropriate for small school projects. The production model measures 42.5” by 24.5" wide and 13.5" high suited for specialized utilization. Both of these models are programmable and very easy to work with. The piece is placed on a ceramic mold that will shape it to its predetermined structure when switched on.

 

Nowadays artist create exceptional transparent tiles for window design. Jewelry, cups, pots or sculptures are made of warm glass shaped by ceramic molds. Check out Amaco for the best kilns and warm glass supplies and equipment.