Archive for the ‘History Of Stained Glass’ Category

Fluer De Lis Bevel & Stained Glass

Stained Glass Beveled fluer de lis

My first Beveled and First wood framed project. What an experience this one has been. I really enjoyed this one, it’s approximately 17 x 24. I found the idea on a friends Facebook Page check her out at https://www.facebook.com/Clever.Panes. She has a lot of nice work

I changed it up a little and was going to keep it for myself  until someone wanted it for Christmas, so now I will just have to make me another one, that’s ok doing this is very relaxing and enjoyable. I really hope they enjoy it.

 

Creating New Church Stained Glass Windows

Creating New Church Stained Glass Windows

Faceted glass consists of approximately one-inch thick dalles of glass cut by hand and broken over an anvil. These pieces of glass are placed in a pattern on a table and a form is set around the perimeter of the panel. Sandy material called granules, are sprinkled between the pieces of glass. The next step is to pour a two-part epoxy resin between the pieces of glass. We then sprinkle another layer of granules over the epoxy resin. Once the epoxy sets, it results in a very strong load-bearing panel. Studios mainly use faceted glass for less complex designs. Faceted glass windows have a higher material costs but require significantly less labor, often making it a more cost effective solution. Faceted glass does not require a protective covering when installed and requires very little maintenance.

Leaded Stained Glass

Windows with little or no painted work are another type of stained glass art that studios commonly use. Leaded glass with little painted work is less labor intensive than fully hand painted cathedral windows. A Studio can design this medium to match most budgets and tastes. (See Step by step – leaded and painted construction below.) Read more »

The Soothing Effect and Sophisticated Beauty of Stained Glass over the Years

Beauty of Stained Glass

We always thought that stained glass, being a common fixture as windows in ancient churches and cathedrals, is very old. But boy, do we know how old? The oldest archaeological finds date back to the 7th Century and that is really old but it could be older. The 7th Century finds are just that finds. There could be older artefacts that may not have been found yet.

If older means right after glass was discovered marking the start of glassmaking history, then the oldest stained glass could be about more than 5,500 years old. Yet, as is revealed in the history of glass and glassworks, it was not until 950 to 1240 AD that the first documented evidence of UN-traceried the windows supported by stout and tough iron frames appeared and were found installed at Chartres Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral in France and England, respectively. Given that the conventional installations were in churches, cathedrals, convents, monasteries, mosques, synagogues and temples; it was thought to be an architectural feature associated only with religious buildings and infrastructure.

In later times, however, the windows started appearing in academic and public buildings, becoming more and more picturesque as both aesthetics and workmanship improved. Louis Comfort Tiffany made enormous contribution to the development of its art and industry as a creative and imaginative architectural and interior design visionary. Read more »

Stained Glass History

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Making stained glass is an ancient art that can be traced back to the early Egyptians. Although the first colored glass may have been used as jewelry or even currency, we probably know the art form best from seeing stained glass in the windows of churches. These windows are really paintings that use light, glass and a metal framework to create a design.

The earliest stained glass windows were created for the Roman Catholic Church, and often told Bible stories in pictures. This was at a time when most people couldn’t read, so these luminous paintings were one of the few representations of the glory and transcendent nature of their spiritual beliefs. At a time before television, radio or even pictures painted on canvas, stained glass windows wer­e probably one of the most dramatic, instructive and important works of art most people were exposed to.

Many of these ancient masterpieces have been lost as a result of religious upheavals and political strife, but many still remain, like the stained glass windows at Chartres Cathedral in France, or at Canterbury Cathedral in England. Read more »

The Tiffany Angel

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I am back with a new article, I have been out of commission for a bit with this crazy back pain, so I am sharing a article and photo from Natchez Mississippi. My mother just visited The Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez, MS and sent me some awesome photos so I thought I would share this with you. Its a lot of information but I found it to be very interesting hope you will too. The stained glass piece is actually is in 3D. I hope to go see this myself and maybe this will inspire you to visit also. Hope you enjoy this article.

The message of the 1890s Resurrection Angel window on the north side of the Trinity nave relates directly to its 1960s counterpart on the opposite side of the church where Jesus addresses the sisters Mary and Martha of Bethany.  Following this incident with Jesus, when Martha went out to meet him after the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus’ response to her included this phrase, inscribed in the base of the Resurrection Angel window:

I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”  John XI:25

Above this inscription, in the main body of the window, an angel stands before the empty sepulcher (tomb).  With one hand the angel holds a palm branch, the Roman symbol of victory that was transformed by the Christian story into a complex indicator of martyrdom and glory. Many images of Christian saints throughout history carry palms to indicate their death as martyrs.  Of course palms also remind viewers of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week; in the Episcopal tradition, the celebratory fronds of Palm Sunday will be burned to create the ashes to mark the foreheads of the faithful at the beginning of the following Lent to remind them of their mortality.

With the other hand, the window angel points upward to heaven where the women visiting the tomb will be able to see Jesus again.  The gesture may also be one of reassurance to the frightened women at the empty tomb.  From the earliest accounts in Genesis of Abraham’s encounters with God’s messengers, their effect on those they meet is often terrifying, so their first words are often, “Fear not.”

The artist of the Trinity window has provided a traditional white-robed angel in the form of a winged figure, though none of the gospel accounts makes any reference to wings.  But wings have throughout history been depicted on angels, seraphim, cherubim, and on the symbols of the four evangelists as indicators to the viewers of their divine mission.

The Trinity angel hardly seems terrifying in the Old Testament sense.  He is more tastefully tame, with his handsome Grecian profile, sculptural three-dimensional folds in his robe, and neatly hewn marble sepulcher, framed by a pair of columns topped with classically carved capitals of acanthus leaves. A similarly classical border of acanthus and lotus surrounds the heraldic cross at the top of the window.

This is one of two windows in the Trinity nave attributed to the workshop of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the most acclaimed American stained glass artist at the turn of the twentieth century, noted for the monumental classical elegance of his figured pieces, the multicolored luminescence of his glass, and for his technique of layering and sculpturing the glass itself – all of which are clearly visible in the Trinity window.

Interestingly, though, the composition relates less closely to other Resurrection Angel windows installed by Tiffany in American churches than it does to an 1862 drawing in the Tate Gallery, London, for a church window in Brighton, England designed by noted English artist and designer William Morris. The drawing shows a remarkably similar empty sepulcher and hand gestures, though the angel in the Morris drawing is seated.

This window was dedicated to the Glory of God and in loving memory of George W. Koontz (1816-1876) and Mary Roane Koontz (1827-1895). The quote below the window is appropriate to a memorial dedication; it is the opening line of the Prayer Book service for Burial of the Dead in both Rite I and II.  The window’s image is a reminder and a comforter that departed loved ones no longer reside in any earthly box but have obtained the ultimate freedom and joy in heaven above.

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco stained Glass Windows

Grace Cathedral Church San Francisco California

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We spent our weekend exploring San Francisco, we finally went to the Grace Cathedral Church to see the awesome stained glass work. Talk about great pieces and a lot of them.

Here is a little history about the church.

 

The cathedral has become an international pilgrimage center for church-goers and visitors alike, famed for its mosaics by De Rosen, a replica of Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, two labyrinths, varied stained glass windows, Keith Haring AIDS Chapel altarpiece, and medieval and contemporary furnishings, as well as its 44 bell carillon, three organs, and choir.

Contained in the cathedral are 7,290 square feet of stained glass windows by noted artists that depict over 1100 figures ranging from Adam and Eve to Albert Einstein. 32 windows or window groups, dating from 1930 to 1966, were designed by American Charles Connick and his Boston studio. Connick windows include The Chapel of Grace and baptistry window series that contains over 32,000 pieces of glass and covers nearly 833 square feet. The Cathedral also contains 24 faceted windows by Gabriel Loire of Chartres, France, including the Human Endeavor series depicting John Glenn, Thurgood Marshall, Jane Addams, Robert Frost, and Einstein. Between 1995-1998 several of the cathedral’s choir and aisle windows were restored by Reflection Studios of Emeryville, California.

How Stained Glass Works

How Stained Glass Works

­Making stained glass is an ancient art that can be traced back to the early Egyptians. Although the first colored glass may have been used as jewelry or even currency, we probably know the art form best from seeing stained glass in the windows of churches. These windows are really paintings that use light, glass and a metal framework to create a design.

The earliest stained glass windows were created for the Roman Catholic Church, and often told Bible stories in pictures. This was at a time when most people couldn’t read, so these luminous paintings were one of the few representations of the glory and transcendent nature of their spiritual beliefs. At a time before television, radio or even pictures painted on canvas, stained glass windows wer­e probably one of the most dramatic, instructive and important works of art most people were exposed to.

­Many of these ancient masterpieces have been lost as a result of religious upheavals and political strife, but many still remain, like the stained glass windows at Chartres Cathedral in France, or at Canterbury Cathedral in England.

Changes in taste and innovations in glassmaking hav­e made working with stained glass easier than ever before. Because colored glass is now cheaper and good designs and tutorials are easy to find, the hobby is steadily gaining in popularity. With some practice, patience and a few important tools, creating art with colored glass is a hobby that’s available to almost everyone

Stained Glass Artwork: Tools and Techniques Used by Artisans

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Stained glass artists are talented and proficient craftspeople who specialize in bringing every type of designs to existence. To supply art which is sturdy and aesthetically pleasing, artists make use of many tools and techniques on the trade. Here is often a quick (and simplified) summary from the process stained glass artists use to create the colorful styles noticed in churches, federal government buildings, and private residences.

Building a Template

Earlier than an artist brings a do the trick to existence implementing minor and good sized pieces of colored glass, he or she primary provides a detailed drawing with the complete picture. This drawing will need to be precisely the same dimension as the window opening or other area where by the art can be shown. Items of glass will ought to be joined with result in develop the last work, so lines to indicate exactly where this main will go also ought to be integrated while in the template. As compared to the last piece, this template is relatively rather simple in look. Read more »

Stained Glass – Moving From Ancient to Modern

Stained glass from ancient to modern Mosaic

Stained glass is the ancient glass art that was used for decorating churches, chapels and important shrines and places of pilgrimage in the ancient times. From its past heritage and usage to the modern decoration ideas, stained glass art has come a long way. It is today one of the breathtaking concepts in design and decorating public places and recreational joints with modern scriptures, caricatures, public figures, beauty depictions, female figures, and animal forms.

The stained form of glass began its modern curve in the 19th Century itself with the use of the art for decorating glass windows and doors in homes. From the European to the Asian homes, the form became a regular option for colored glass doors and windows, entrance doors, verandah or porch doors, patio and gallery boundary etc. One can now find their use in modern workplaces and commercial centers.

The use of the stained glass art is visible in office cabins, workstation area and other interior as well as exterior décor of an office. Today, the said form of glass is one of the essential parts of decoration used in uplifting the appearance of a place. Read more »