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Recommended sites related to stained glass
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- The Stained Glass Society of America has a comprehensive 18 page article - 'History of Stained Glass.'
- Excellent 1200-1330 A.D. Medieval stained glass images and extensive texts are available in English at the specialized website from Esslingen, Germany.
- View enlarged sections of the huge, ancient & original XV & XVI centuries windows at Sable-sur-Sarthe. In 1894, France made the entire window collection a Historical Monument. Choice of French or English, Theme: The Great Crucifixion.
- The Stained Glass Museum at the Ely Cathedral in the UK presents a Medieval to the Present virtual tour of English Stained Glass in their possession or on loan. There is also a short description - 'Professional Manufacturing of Stained Glass' and links to other websites.
- Novices or arts & crafts enthusiasts - obtain simplified instructions for making your own stained glass pieces.
One way to investigate the origins of musical instruments is through the study of early paintings. Pre-pianos are the specialty of this musician’s site. If your computer can receive music, then listen to her pre-piano instruments.
Lutes are a very early instrument, too. Pythagorean has paintings and an article about early lutes and musicians that played them. At the Dartmouth site, you can find information about joining The Lute Society.
For early violin development, visit Thinkquest and Gusset Violins or Emory University.
Ever wondered how ants and bees walk on smooth surfaces or on ceilings? Robotic specialists are interested in the latest findings, too. For an explanation, check out Science Daily.
Mountain Men & the Fur Trade,1800-1850. Interesting website maintained by a member of The American Mountain Men. Has ship supply records, mountain men photos, etc. Internet sources and links.
Phonograph, Electric Railroad & Light Bulb - inventions of Edison. Website has archeological survey as well. Presented by Menlo Park, NJ.
Association for Preservation of Virginia's Antiquities, Jamestown's website with the latest findings on America's earliest settlement.
Cuneiform Translator...One of our customers told us about an interesting link at the University of Pennsylvania's website. Visitors can read about the history of cuneiform translate their own name online. Very fun!
The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 30+ pages of excellent coverage on Jackson Pollock, including biographical material and images of him at work on his drip-paintings.
Researching the arts...For teachers that may need your assistance in researching topics in the arts, an excellent list of Arts Education Links exists on the server of Library Science Program at James Madison University
American Art..."Calendar of Exhibitions" is the internet's most comprehensive listing of current, upcoming and past exhibitions of American representational art at non-profit institutions.
Wondering about ongoing archeological digs in the Mediterranean... visit the Classics and Mediterranean Archaeology Home Page
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INSPIRATIONAL STAINED GLASS!
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The question of "When" man began making stained glass products is unknown, but utilitarian and artistic glass items have been created for centuries. For example as early as 2750 to 2625 BC, the discovery by either Egyptian or Mesopotamian potters of glass while firing clay pots led them to the art of making multi-colored opaque beads. Head of Christ (4169) $34 |
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By the time German Monk, Theophilus, recorded the techniques used for making colored glass about 1100 AD, inspirational stained glass windows were already being created in monasteries, secular environments and large cathedrals by Guilds. These workshops were comprised of the best craftsmen, who traveled from one huge project to the next during the Middle Ages – the period between Classical Antiquity and the Renaissance. One of these stained glass pieces, the ‘Head of Christ’ (illustrated above), was originally installed at The Abbey Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Wissemburg, Alsace, France (near German border). The artwork is currently at the Museé de l’Oeuvre de Notre Dame, Strasbourg, France.
Christ is represented as a frontal image that most likely was the center of a window surrounded by transparent glass. The image was painted directly onto the glass and each color (metal oxides) had to be kiln fired in order for the staining material to become a permanent part of the glass. The Middle Ages artist is unknown.
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European Medieval cathedrals became multi-storied as builders solved technical problems and the buildings became focal points in communities. The interiors had huge vaulting spaces with religious sculptures illuminated by light that filtered through stained glass. These windows depicted stories about Biblical events and Saint’s lives. The windows and sculptures helped convey religious doctrine to church patrons, who during this time-period were mostly illiterate.
Notre Dame, ‘Rose Window,’ TAL590 $32
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| On the north façade of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris is a Gothic masterpiece, ‘The North Rose Window’ (1240-1250 AD) (illustrated above). It has pointed arches at its outermost edges versus rounded edges which were used in later cathedral windows with the rose motif. Romanesque wheel windows--the Gothic predecessor--had shafts radiating from a small circular central core. Rose windows were a symbolic representation of an open, flower- rose which paid tribute to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ.
The ‘North Rose Window’ is an inspirational, intricately designed, mosaic of muted and brilliant colors, all of which contributes to the powerful, spiritual environment of the Cathedral’s interior.
This particular window depicts Old Testament scenes with prophets, kings, judges and priests surrounding Mary as she holds the Christ Child. She represents the culmination of history before the birth of Jesus, the Savior.
At the end of the Gothic Era (1200-1500 AD), architecture which contained the huge stained glass windows of the earlier Romanesque and Gothic eras were no longer built primarily because of the Protestant Reformation, Thirty Years War and the Italian Renaissance.
During the Italian Renaissance, artworks done during the Middle Ages were considered barbaric. The artist's emphasis on during the Gothic era on religious symbolism was replaced by a new emphasis on three-dimensional perspective. The formerly divided sections of glass with lead beams became camouflaged as window sections appeared connected. Technological advancements permitted utilization of diamond blades and thinner glass; and, preference was for clear glass which permitted better light for viewing the Italian wall frescos.
In the mid-1800’s throughout England, there was a major Gothic Revival. The wealthy built Medieval castles and new churches, both of which needed appropriate Medieval looking furnishings. Also, England’s great World’s Fair of 1851 displayed poor quality machine-made products which inspired several English artists to create better, hand-made items.
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One of those artist was Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood creator, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), who was inspired by Medieval legends, nature and beautiful women. In the stained glass, ‘The Kiss’ he paid homage to the 1420 AD romance / marriage of King René of Anjou to Isabella of Lorraine. King René was a Medieval supporter of The Arts who wrote poems and romances.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘The Kiss,” Currently at The Victoria & Albert Museums London, UK
4159 $37
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William Morris (1834-1896) also recognized the need for handmade products and was influenced by the Gothic Era. He established Morris & Company, hired talented craftsmen, advocated returning to the Medieval guild system and was the founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris’ decorative arts firm had a major impact on tastes and trends, both decorative and furniture, throughout Europe and the United States.
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Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) was an outstanding and influential designer for Morris & Company. He devoted his life to the Gothic Revival and his ‘Viking Ship’ is a dynamic depiction with strong diagonal lines which gives the suggestion of movement.
Edward Burne-Jones’s ‘The Viking Ship,’ Currently at the Delaware Museum, USA
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American, John LaFarge (1835-1910) was an accomplished artist in drawing and painting who lectured extensively on ‘Fine Art’ and wrote about his memories of his past travels to places such as Japan and the South Seas. His artworks illustrate his fantasies of flowers and especially foreign places. LaFarge’s major accomplishment -- as the greatest innovator in the history of modern stained glass -- occurred in 1879 when he discovered and patented the techniques for making opalescent glass, which is the fusion of small bits of glass in order to create stained glass images which previously had to be painted with metal oxides. Another innovation was using copper instead of lead for joining glass sections. These processes were quickly adapted by other artists such as Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Butterflies and Foliage 4226 $80
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Louis Comfort Tiffany’s father was the founder of Tiffany & Co. and Louis (1848-1933) established L.C. Tiffany & Co. and Associated Artists, both specialized in interior designs and coordination. After redoing the East, Blue and Red Rooms at the White House in 1883, the company became one of the most fashionable interior decorating firms in the country.
As an excellent artist and craftsman, Louis loved nature which he incorporated into his intricate glass lamps, windows and specialized items designed for particular situations and clients. Louis had collaborated with Thomas Edison on the first movie-house design and Edison urged him to create electric lamps. Tiffany’s lamps utilized opalescent glass and copper in the leaded shades and the bronze bases repeated the overall design motif.
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Clematis Lamp 3862 $355
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Louis Comfort Tiffany and his company were part of the International Art Nouveau Movement and their work was recognized for excellent handcrafted details and superior designs. Their artworks continue to inspire, even today.
After Tiffany, International master artists continued to experiment and create great stained glass works reflective of their individual styles. Several of these artists were Nicola d’Ascenzo, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mark Chagall.
Louis Comfort Tiffany’s ‘The Tiffany Fountain’ 3554 $275
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American, Nicola d'Ascenzo (1871-1954) created large stained glass windows for private patrons, churches, synagogues and historically important buildings such as the Folger Shakespeare Library near Washington, DC. The window portrays the seven stages of a man's life as described in Shakespeare’s play, ‘As You Like It.’
Nicola d'Ascenzo's ‘Seven Ages of Man,’ Currently at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC TAL592 $279
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Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), the greatest American architect, is known for creating "Prairie" style homes. These residences were horizontal with low flat roofs and wide overhanging eaves. The interiors were open and designed for specific families or specific functions, such as the Coonley Playhouse which actually was a progressive school for young children.
‘Coonley Triptych’ 4171 $90
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| Wright had been greatly influenced as a child by a set of blocks containing various nonobjective shapes. In this building’s stained glass triptych he used circles (his favorite shape), checkerboard patterns and a flag to create the effects of an abstract parade.
International artist, Marc Chagall (1887-1985), was born in a Russia village to Jewish parents, and later became a French citizen. His work was personal, and dreamlike with references to his early memories of Russian-Jewish life.
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‘Triumph of Music’ TAL995 $32
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‘Sources of Music’ TAL996 $32
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Besides painting, he was a master of stained glass who used the ancient technique of hand painting the glass before it was kiln fired. In the latter part of his long life, he received many stained glass window commissions, including the two musical theme images that are in the lobby at the Metropolitan Opera House in New YorkCity (illustrated above).
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Today, there continues to be a great diversity of stained glass inspirations in this lamp at left by Thomas Kinkade who is considered by his followers as - The Painter of Light. Also, the naturalist painter, James Hautman, and his two brothers have won seven out of 13 prestigious US Federal Duck Stamp Contests (see an example of his work below)
Thomas Kinkade’s ‘Hollyhock Lamp’
4164 $355
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JAMES HAUTMAN's Wild Horses in America
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Rodney Winfield (American b.1925), has given us the wall-sized inspirational stained glass window known as the ‘Space Window.’ It honors man’s achievements in science and celebrates man’s faith. The window reads, “Is not God in the height of Heaven?”
The window was a gift from NASA. At the dedication ceremony in 1973, the Astronauts of Apollo 11 presented a 3-1/2 billion-year-old Lunar rock which now is embedded in the window itself at the center of the red planet. The window is a tribute to man’s future challenges in space.
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Rodney Winfield’s ‘Space Window’
4158 $64
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| Since ancient times and the Middle Ages, especially the Gothic Era, stained glass products have been inspirational because of their beauty. The marvel of the spectrum of glass colors has been appreciated; and stained glass windows of all sizes have enhanced interior environments. Religious significance, stories and fantasies are just a few themes that artists have depicted as symbolic, realistic, organic or nonobjective images. Today, stained glass continues to fascinate artists and viewers alike for that special property stained glass brings to an artwork - colored light!
With all the current interest in stained glass by talented artists, we look forward to their future artistic endeavors and to their ‘Inspirational Stained Glass!’
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