Stained Glass Windows

Stained glass windows

Stained glass windows used to be only referred to Cathedral windows but it has now moderated into a wide variety of different things. Many people think stained glass is just work on windows but it can also be three dimensional structures and sculptures. Stained glass is still widely used for different things. There was a time when stained glass was deceased but then it later got revived. Stained glass is sometimes difficult to make but if the artist is skilled enough they will produce beautiful designs.

Origin of stained glass

Colored glass is not something that started just recently. In fact history has it that there were colored windows around since ancient times. The Egyptians and the Romans both produced colored objects. The early Christians during the 4th and 5th century had wooden window frames that contained some omate patterns of alabaster that gave it a colored glass effect. These effects were also done by Muslim architects and others in southern Asia. Then later in the 8th century a Muslim alchemist scientifically describe 46 different colored glass.

Destruction of stained glass

In England many stained glass windows were being torn down and plain windows would replace them. All this happened during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry the VIII. This caused thousands of windows to be destroyed since the dissolution of the monasteries gave Henry the right to confiscate the property of the monasteries, and to do whatever he wanted with it. Then later the traditional method of making stained glass was also destroyed and they would not be revived until early 19th century.

Stained glass now

Lots of stained glass windows were worked on, because there were many churches that had had their windows destroyed during World War II. The German artists were the once that set the tone to restart the restoration. Many artists have transformed stained glass into an art form. Artists now use slab glass and concrete as an innovation to the older era of stained glass. The United States also has a 100-year-old trade organization called the stain glass association of America.