THE ART OF STAINED GLASS
During the Augustus’ Empire, the fashion spread of decorating baths, public buildings and villas with coloured glass, mounted on wooden or metal frames, thanks to a new mould-blowing technique (around 25 AD), which made the price of glass fall. This art spread in all territories which were under the Roman sovereignty. The construction technique was rather complex: fragments of glass were mounted on the frame. It was crucible glass, which was coloured by adding rust, cobalt or copper to the basic components (calcium oxide and potassium carbonate) or plated glass (this glass is made of several layers, to create various shades of colour). Initially, craftsmen created a preparatory cartoon. On this base, the glass plates were cut, using either an incandescent iron or (from the 15th century on) a diamond tip. Then, the plates were mounted on a temporary grate and sometimes painted using some grisaille, which was fixed by very high-temperature firing. At this point, the plates were welded using lead and mounted on the frame. In the so-called barbarian period, the fall of the Roman Empire caused the production of stained glass in Italy to stop. However, it continued in the North-European countries and in the territories of the Eastern Roman Empire. After the year one thousand, this art resumed thriving. The most ancient examples of Romanesque art are the five prophets of the Augsburg cathedral, dating back approximately to 1130, which have a perfect technical and artistic quality. With the development of gothic architecture, which reduced structural wall surfaces and expanded non-structural surfaces, coloured stained-glass windows were more and more used. We can still see some extremely fine examples, like the large windows of the Chartres Cathe dral, which were realised between 1155 and 1240 and cover a surface of about 7,000 square metres in total. Between the 13th and the 15th century, the best artists were German and French: foreign masters were hired to decorate even the Cathedral of Milan.
Occasionally, also great Italian painters undertook this art. For instance, in the years 1287-1288 Duccio da Boninsegna realised the rose-window of the façade of the Siena Cathedral (which is now kept at the Opera del Duomo museum). During the Renaissance, the stained-glass art adapted to the new predominant style, which was more attentive to perspective, and showed scenes which were more similar to paintings, rather than portraying single characters or colour combinations. At that time, the grisaille was created, thus allowing to produce colour nuances which were impossible before. With the advent of Protestantism (and the subsequent iconoclasm) and the Counter-Reformation, the stained-glass art entered a period of decline. Starting from Switzerland, small decorative panels of lay nature were more and more used, in particular, the coat of arms which decorated the houses’ windows. In the Baroque period, the interest for stained-glass windows kept decreasing: nobody was able to master the techniques and carry out restorations any more. It was only at the end of the 19th century in Great Britain, that the interest for stained glass revived, thanks to the Neo-Gothic movement, especially thanks to British painters William Morris and sir Edward Burne-Jones. During the Art Nouveau and the Liberty period, stainedglass windows became popular again and new forms and colours were developed. Louis Comfort Tiffany deeply renewed this art, from both the iconographic and the technical point of view. He introduced the use of opaque glass, especially produced for this purpose, and replaced the lead structure with a copper ribbon. At Bolaffi’s auction on 25th September, some gorgeous Victorian Age English stained-glass windows will be sold. They come from churches which were destroyed during the last World War. Their quality is very high and their conditions are miraculously good, given the war experience they went through. In particular, there will be some examples of works by the two major specialised factories of that time: Clayton & Bell and James Powell and Sons, which was also known as Whitefriars Glass. The first was founded by John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell in 1855 and continued its production until 1993. The factory was located in Regent Street, London, and had about 300 workers. In the years between 1860 and 1870, the factory had a lot of work and night-shifts were necessary to keep up with orders coming from Great Britain, America and Australia.
The Whitefriars Glass Company was created in 1680. In 1834, it was acquired by James Powell, an imaginative and enterprising wine merchant, who experimented and developed new techniques. He registered various patents and became a world leader in this sector. The design and colouring of scenes, such as the Baptism of Jesus Christ, the four Prophets, St. Luke and St. Mark and others, show a clear and direct inspiration from the great PreRaphaelite masters and make this lot a tempting acquisition for the most refined collectors. windows kept decreasing: nobody was able to master the techniques and carry out restorations any more. It was only at the end of the 19th cen tury in Great Britain, that the interest for stained glass revived, thanks to the Neo-Gothic move ment, especially thanks to British painters Wil liam Morris and sir Edward Burne-Jones. During the Art Nouveau and the Liberty period, stainedglass windows became popular again and new forms and colours were developed. Louis Com fort Tiffany deeply renewed this art, from both the iconographic and the technical point of view. He introduced the use of opaque glass, es pecially produced for this purpose, and replaced the lead structure with a copper ribbon. At Bo laffi’s auction on 25th September, some gorgeous Victorian Age English stained-glass windows will be sold. They come from churches which were destroyed during the last World War. Their quality is very high and their conditions are miraculously good, given the war experience they went through. In particular, there will be some examples of works by the two major specialised factories of that time: Clayton & Bell and James Powell and Sons, which was also known as Whitefriars Glass.
By Gianfranco Fina
Occasionally, also great Italian painters undertook this art. For instance, in the years 1287-1288 Duccio da Boninsegna realised the rose-window of the façade of the Siena Cathedral (which is now kept at the Opera del Duomo museum). During the Renaissance, the stained-glass art adapted to the new predominant style, which was more attentive to perspective, and showed scenes which were more similar to paintings, rather than portraying single characters or colour combinations. At that time, the grisaille was created, thus allowing to produce colour nuances which were impossible before. With the advent of Protestantism (and the subsequent iconoclasm) and the Counter-Reformation, the stained-glass art entered a period of decline. Starting from Switzerland, small decorative panels of lay nature were more and more used, in particular, the coat of arms which decorated the houses’ windows. In the Baroque period, the interest for stained-glass windows kept decreasing: nobody was able to master the techniques and carry out restorations any more. It was only at the end of the 19th century in Great Britain, that the interest for stained glass revived, thanks to the Neo-Gothic movement, especially thanks to British painters William Morris and sir Edward Burne-Jones. During the Art Nouveau and the Liberty period, stainedglass windows became popular again and new forms and colours were developed. Louis Comfort Tiffany deeply renewed this art, from both the iconographic and the technical point of view. He introduced the use of opaque glass, especially produced for this purpose, and replaced the lead structure with a copper ribbon. At Bolaffi’s auction on 25th September, some gorgeous Victorian Age English stained-glass windows will be sold. They come from churches which were destroyed during the last World War. Their quality is very high and their conditions are miraculously good, given the war experience they went through. In particular, there will be some examples of works by the two major specialised factories of that time: Clayton & Bell and James Powell and Sons, which was also known as Whitefriars Glass. The first was founded by John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell in 1855 and continued its production until 1993. The factory was located in Regent Street, London, and had about 300 workers. In the years between 1860 and 1870, the factory had a lot of work and night-shifts were necessary to keep up with orders coming from Great Britain, America and Australia.
The Whitefriars Glass Company was created in 1680. In 1834, it was acquired by James Powell, an imaginative and enterprising wine merchant, who experimented and developed new techniques. He registered various patents and became a world leader in this sector. The design and colouring of scenes, such as the Baptism of Jesus Christ, the four Prophets, St. Luke and St. Mark and others, show a clear and direct inspiration from the great PreRaphaelite masters and make this lot a tempting acquisition for the most refined collectors. windows kept decreasing: nobody was able to master the techniques and carry out restorations any more. It was only at the end of the 19th cen tury in Great Britain, that the interest for stained glass revived, thanks to the Neo-Gothic move ment, especially thanks to British painters Wil liam Morris and sir Edward Burne-Jones. During the Art Nouveau and the Liberty period, stainedglass windows became popular again and new forms and colours were developed. Louis Com fort Tiffany deeply renewed this art, from both the iconographic and the technical point of view. He introduced the use of opaque glass, es pecially produced for this purpose, and replaced the lead structure with a copper ribbon. At Bo laffi’s auction on 25th September, some gorgeous Victorian Age English stained-glass windows will be sold. They come from churches which were destroyed during the last World War. Their quality is very high and their conditions are miraculously good, given the war experience they went through. In particular, there will be some examples of works by the two major specialised factories of that time: Clayton & Bell and James Powell and Sons, which was also known as Whitefriars Glass.
By Gianfranco Fina