Stained Glass: History of Stained Glass Art

If you're a churchgoing person, then you're more than familiar with stained glass windows. These pieces make up a huge percentage of religious artwork, and depict scenes from the Bible and important religious figures. They were the photographs of their time: a historical record of important events for all to see, which was important as most of the population was illiterate. The history of stained and colored glass artwork is long and interesting, dating back to the beginnings of the last millennium.

Alas, the first of these windows is lost to history, and their origins can only be debated. Mosaics and jewelry makers are credited with developing the technique that created colored glass art as we know it, which arose during an increase in church construction. However, colored glass had been produced since the days of the Egyptian and Roman empires, both of which surpassed others when it came to manufacturing small, stained glass objects.

Churches caught onto the beauty of this art in the 4th and 5th centuries during the rise of church building, and many windows from this time period remain. British churches and monasteries began to adopt stained glass windows as part of their decor in the 7th century, when French workmen began to glaze the windows of monasteries.

Stained glass reached its acme in the Middle Ages. It served a two-fold purpose: 1. It was beautiful to look at and 2. Since most citizens couldn't read the Bible, the window art served as a television of sorts by illustrating the events to the illiterate. The pieces from this era have become known as the "Poor Man's Bible." This trend continued into the Gothic Era, when architectural design forced windows to grow larger, giving artists more of a canvas to work on.

The style didn't change much through the Renaissance, but the French Revolution and Reformation saw the destruction of many windows, which were replaced with plain glass. This rampage caused the traditional methods of colored glass work to be forgotten until the early 19th Century, when the Catholic revival renewed interest and many works were restored. The revival extended all over Europe, most notably in Britain and France. During this same period, John La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany applied and received patents for using opalescent glass to create a new form of stained glass windows, and the process extended to lamps, art and other pieces.

The 20th Century saw more stained glass tragedies and innovations. World War II left many European church windows destroyed, and artists led in restoring the thousands decimated by bombings. The period also saw slab glass in concrete become popular, as well as modern art styles creeping their way into stained glass art. Now, colored glass art can be found in churches, sculptures, public buildings and businesses all over the world.

Stained glass seller Egyptian Blue Art has a wide variety of colored glass lampshades and art pieces for purchase. Visit EgyptianBlueArt.com to view the items.

Thom Casey independently author's articles for WebDrafter.com, Inc. http://www.webdrafter.com/ for SEM clients. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those solely of the author, and not of any other person, company, or organization. No guarantee or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, fitness, or use of the content herein.

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History of Ancient Egyptian Glass

This article briefly goes over the history of Egyptian glass. They were one of the first recorded in history to make glass for utilitarian and aesthetic purposes.

Lucky for us, many Egyptian glass works are preserved well, because of their culture of burying the worldly goods of the dead and the dry climate that prevents decay.

Egyptians were very ahead of the game regarding glass making; they knew before 3000 BC how to use glaze techniques. In the early periods, they created glass pieces modeled after stone or ceramic objects. They also created glass beads, which were highly prized, almost as much as gold and precious stones. Egyptians were also active in the trade of glass objects so that they could spread their techniques and style.

Glass vessels in the round, hollow form that we know appear only after 1500 BC, and it is thought that the conquest of Near Eastern lands triggered the sudden appearance of glass vessels in Egypt.

One common method of glassmaking used by Egyptians was "Cire perdue." The piece was modeled in wax, and then covered with clay. Then the wax would be melted and poured away, so that the gap could be re-filled with molten glass.

Another, most common method was molting glass on a core. A core (made of clay, mud, or straw) in the shape of the desired piece was formed on a metal rod. Then, the core was dipped into molten glass. When the walls of the core with added glass became thick, the object was marvered and annealed. Lastly, the core was removed, leaving a rough interior.

Sky blue and dark blue were some popular colors for glass in Egypt, together with grey, yellow, white, and orange. In later periods, red, green, and violet also appeared and added more variety for the tastes of the wealthy.

Unfortunately, Egyptian glassmaking depended greatly on political circumstances as it frequently does in any other country; thus, between 1200BC and 900BC when the country was in decline, there is little development in glass production.

Later under Alexander the Great and the city of Alexandria, where many Egyptian craftsmen worked, the glass industry flourished again. Alexandria became a center of glassmaking, and Greek culture is also reflected in its style.

In 27 BC Egypt was eventually conquered by the Romans, but its glassmaking style remained for a time after that. Through Roman conquests and trade Egyptian (Alexandrian) glassware was exported throughout the empire.

Interested in beautiful yet practical glassware? Find out more about exquisite hand blown glass vases, bowls, paperweights.

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History of Ancient Roman Glass

The term "Roman glass" is a very broad, general term, and refers to a specific age under Roman rule as opposed to a specific area. The Roman Empire was so vast that there were many different styles coexisting within its realm, even though a unifying "Roman" theme can be recognized throughout the pieces.

In the 1st century BC, glassblowing was invented in Syria. In the same period, the Roman Empire was founded, and through its conquests and trade it subsequently spread a unique culture.

Alexandria and Syria exported their glassware to Rome, from which the works were then brought to Roman colonies in Europe. Thus, Rome was critical in spreading the art of glassmaking to Europe.

In 1st century AD, large scale glass manufacturing occurred in Syria, Palestine, and Alexandria. One Syrian glassmaker called Ennion even left his name on his glassware. Generally, Syrian glassmakers often produced utilitarian glassware, while Alexandrian glassmakers focused on luxury objects. Many also moved to Italy and other Roman colonies, and glass houses spread quickly through Europe. Soon, Cologne would be a glassmaking center as important as Alexandria. The styles of these different locations were very similar to each other.

Like this, the Roman period started an unprecedented flourishing in the glass industry, during which even the common people began to have access to glassware. Some household glass types that were commonly used were janus flasks, which displayed the head of persons on a flask, and victory cups, with laurels and inscriptions for decoration. Mirrors and windows were also produced using glass.
Artistic glass also continued to be produced. For example, cage cups, which were bowls or cups with rounded sides, were created. These cups had pierced decorations attached by struts. This decoration was not fused to the surface; instead, the entire object was created out of a solid block of glass by under-cutting. Because the process is so complex, surviving pieces are very rare and it is difficult to reproduce even today.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the glass industry also suffered a dramatic decline. With arts and crafts, there is a general tendency to follow the up and downs of politics. This tendency is even more marked in more expensive types of art. Thus, while utilitarian glassware still produced, artistic glassware naturally lacked demand as political and economic circumstances were unstable and people could not afford to buy luxury.

Interested in beautiful yet practical glassware? Find out more about exquisite hand blown glass vases, bowls, paperweights.

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