The history of stained glass in Russia and the world. The art of stained glass

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The very word "stained glass" is translated from Latin as "glass". It is considered one of the most refined and special types of art, rich in its history and performance techniques. A brief history of stained glass will be told to the reader in the article.

Prerequisites for stained glass windows

Teachers, telling the story of stained glass for children in the classroom, begin with the root causes of its occurrence. The emergence of the first civilizations is associated with many discoveries. It was then that glass began to be mined. Over time, they learned to make it colored and use it to decorate various objects. Each culture had its own characteristics of the use of such glass:

• The Sumerians decorated the roofs of their temples.
• The Egyptians wound glass in a spiral and made colored vessels out of it.
• The Romans and Greeks were experts in making antique vases and goblets with decorative carvings and many ornaments.

All these discoveries date back to the beginning of the second millennium BC. Only after another thousand years, the Syrians learned how to blow glass, which gave rise to the history of developmentstained glass.

The appearance of the first stained glass windows

In history, the appearance of stained glass is not marked by an exact date. But it is known that in the Christian era, colored glass was first used to make simple pictures. It was fastened with putty to boards or decorated windows. And with the advent of the first temples, Byzantine stained-glass windows were developed. Laudatory poems and descriptions of glass compositions were popular with fourth and fifth century poets. In those days, stained glass windows were given a divine meaning, and the light passing through them was compared with the holy spirit.

Development history

Unfortunately, stained glass windows older than the tenth century in good condition have not reached our era. They can be judged by the remaining fragments and records of poets. But in the future, this type of art was widely developed and spread throughout all countries. Let's take a closer look at the history of the origin of stained glass, the change in styles and techniques in each era.

Romanesque stained glass windows

The history of stained-glass windows tells that Romanesque arose in the eleventh century and were relevant for another century. It was they who became the first classic stained-glass windows, in which the picture was made up of pieces of colored glass and a metal profile.

Features of Roman stained glass:

• not everyone could afford them because of the high cost, as the technique of melting and blowing glass was very complex and laborious;
• there were separate craftsmen for blanks of thin sheets of glassand experts in the direct composition of paintings, which increased the quality of Romanesque stained glass windows;
• it took more than a hundred different pieces to make one panel, each of which had its own shape and color;
• stained glass windows of this era are characterized by such defects as the presence of bubbles, irregularities, scuffs, but this does not spoil their appearance at all, but makes them special and charming in their own way.

Romanesque Stained Glass Technique:

• to begin with, the master took a wooden surface and outlined the drawing of his future masterpiece on it;
• then glass pieces were selected for each element of the picture (according to shape and size);
• the desired fragments were painted with natural paint, after which they were fired in an oven to fix the pattern;
• composing a mosaic into a whole image was done with the help of narrow lead bindings;
• since the windows in those days were large (about six meters), for greater strength and stability, one large composition was made up of several smaller panels.

Romanesque Masterpieces:

• head of Christ from Weissembourg Abbey Alsace;
• composition of four Old Testament prophets in Augsburg Cathedral;
• Ascension of Christ in Augsburg Cathedral;
• "Crucifixion and Resurrection" on cathedral windows in Poitiers;
• three stained glass windows of the Holy Trinity in Chartres Cathedral.

Gothic stained glass windows

The history of stained glass (Gothic) dates back to 1144. Abbot Sergius duringbuilding the church in Saint-Denis filled the windows with several vertical medallions. The main difference from the Romanesque style in this composition was that each medallion revealed an important moment in history.

Gothic stained glass features:

• in the cathedrals began to increase the number of windows for their decoration in the Gothic style;
• such architecture quickly gained popularity and was developed in England and France;
• stained glass windows of the past gave the temple a gloom associated with evil, and at the same time a great spirituality, enclosed in a lot of light; this ratio became ideal and carried a mystical meaning;
• over time, the rich colors of red and blue were gradually replaced with lighter ones, so that as many rays as possible passed inside;
• the types of window openings have also changed;
• in France they invented a new lighting technique - grisaille, the essence of which was that light, radiant stained-glass windows were placed in dark bulky rooms, letting light into them; over time, the number of techniques of this style has become even more.

The most famous stained glass windows, made in the classic Gothic style, are in the cathedral in Chartres. It is in it that it is easy to track the harmony between the majestic windows, gloomy architecture and the interior concept of the room. The flow of a large number of rays into darkness and gloom gives a stunning and bewitching effect - this is the whole charm of Gothic. Also, this cathedral has its own peculiarity, which later spread throughout the world -these are windows according to the scheme of the Latin cross. They represent the life of the Virgin. And the rose windows depict Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Renaissance stained glass windows

A new wave in culture, including architecture, was provoked by such terrible events as the war and the plague. Already by the fifteenth century, people stopped putting the church in the first place and switched to a secular way of life. This greatly influenced the further development of stained glass.

Renaissance stained glass features:

• many more advanced glass techniques have emerged;
• was completely the invention of silver mordant, which greatly increased the level of created paintings;
• colors were applied directly to the glass, which made it possible to obtain many unusual shades;
• images look bigger and brighter;
• France and Italy are the main centers for stained glass;
• medallions, not more than thirty centimeters, have come into fashion, they have become symbols of this era.

Examples of Renaissance stained glass:

• windows of the Florence Cathedral, created by Italian masters;
• windows of the monastery in Königsfelden;
• stained glass windows in the Besserer Chapel in Ulm Minster.

High Renaissance Stained Glass

Until the sixteenth century, masters made stained-glass windows according to the classical scheme, until such masters as Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo appeared. They were the ones who had the biggest impact.on world culture, including the history of stained glass art in Russia.

High Renaissance stained glass features:

• since most stained glass masters were Italians, they became the authors of new trends;
• the art of this era combined realism, elements of European decoration and bulky forms;
• a new glass processing technique has been developed, making it more transparent and clean;
• in addition to silver, they also invented red pickling;
• masters began to give preference to the color solution, rather than the distortion of forms and the sensuality of the image;
• window openings widened even further and reached gigantic proportions.

Example of High Renaissance stained glass windows:

• The Tree of Jesse in Beauvais;
• huge windows of Brussels Cathedral;
• "The Expulsion of Iliodor from the Temple" in the cathedral in Gouda.

The sixteenth century is considered the last in the heyday of stained glass in the Middle Ages. Further, the technologies for making glasses and drawing up pictures began to progress very quickly. The 20th century had a great influence on stained glass design methods.

The history of stained glass in Russia

Russian stained glass did not exist until the nineteenth century. Only we althy people could enjoy the masterpieces brought from abroad. The thing is that domestic churches and cathedrals did not provide for stained-glass windows, and culture as a whole did not need this kind of art. They appeared and immediately conqueredpopularity thanks to the work of European masters.

History of stained glass in Russia:

• XVII century - the first appearance of stained glass windows;
• XVIII century - stagnation in development due to unprofitability;
• the beginning of the 19th century - the gradual penetration of paintings made of colored glass into Russian culture;
• the middle of the 19th century - the active use of stained-glass windows; the emperor and other we althy people adopted European fashion and began to use them to decorate their estates; then stained glass windows appeared in churches;
• end of the 19th century - many art workshops were built, as well as painting classes and schools;
• first half of the 20th century – stained glass art declined due to the fading of Art Nouveau, and later due to the outbreak of World War II;
• the middle of the 20th century - the revival of stained-glass windows by Soviet culture, unique works appeared that differ from previous paintings in their originality and ambiguity.

Famous Russian stained glass windows:

• decoration with stained-glass windows of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky;
• chapel in Tsarskoye Selo;
• Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg;
• "The Ascension of Christ" in St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Stained glass: history and modernity

Having examined in detail the historical side of the development of stained glass types in different eras, I would like to turn to contemporary art. Stained glass windows of our time exist in order to give the room a style and a special chic. Many techniquesglassmaking, design and fashion have been key to the emergence of new types of this art.

Modern types of stained glass:

• Sandblasted stained-glass window is a glass composition made in sandblasting technique and connected by one common theme. It is made up on the whole surface, most often in one color.
• Mosaic stained glass - consists of particles of approximately the same size, resembling a mosaic. Can be background or main image.
• A stained-glass window is a drawing created from individual pieces of glass of the desired shape and color, usually without any additions.
• Fusing - the glasses from which the composition is assembled are sintered together in the intended position. This type also includes the embedding of individual foreign elements into the finished image.
• Filled stained-glass window - consists of glass with the contour of the intended image applied to it. Each detail is filled with special paints or varnish.
• An etched stained-glass window is a set of glasses made using the etching technique and interconnected by a single meaning.
• Stained-glass window - is made of colored glass, fixed in a lead frame and soldered at the joints. The oldest technique that has come down from the Middle Ages.
• Facet stained-glass windows - when assembling them, they use glass from which the facet was previously removed. Another option is to use ground and polished glass.
• Combined stained-glass windows - compositions that simultaneously include several types of stained-glass windows. This technique helps to achieve amazing results, to maketruly original masterpieces.

Tiffany stained glass

Lewis Tiffany became the founder of his own style and technique of stained glass, which became popular all over the world. He worked for a very long time on the selection of materials, and most importantly, on methods for fixing glass, since medieval methods did not suit him at all. What happened as a result of these works, completely eclipsed soldering stained glass. So how does this technique differ from others and why in history Tiffany stained glass windows are considered one of the most prestigious, let's take a closer look.

Tiffany style features:

1. Color. Brightness has always been a very important criterion for Lewis Tiffany when working with stained glass. He tried to achieve as much saturation and originality as possible in the colors used. Sometimes the master mixed tones, and sometimes he put one (or even several) glass on top of another.
2. Material. Quality is what is an obligatory hallmark of these stained glass windows. Before starting to make stained glass windows, they always underwent a rigorous check, they must be without the slightest defect and the same texture.
3. Realistic. The master's works were so perfect, complex, full of details and colors that they were often compared with painting.
4. Technology. The glasses were connected to each other by means of a copper tape. Since it was wider than the glass itself, the tape was bent along the edge, at an angle of ninety degrees. Finished elements were interconnected with tin and applied with a patina.
5. High cost. Such works are very expensive and can only be found in private collections, English and American cathedrals and museums.

Shortly before the death of Lewis (1933), his company closed, but Tiffany's technique is still considered one of the best, and the work is considered a masterpiece of art.