Restoring, Preserving
and Creating
the Treasured Heritage of Radiant Stained Glass
the Treasured Heritage of Radiant Stained Glass
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Restoring, Preserving
and Creating
the Treasured Heritage of Radiant Stained Glass |
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Stained glass emerged primarily as an European art form. Artists and craftsmen spent lifetimes designing, firing, and fabricating cathedrals' leaded glass masterpieces. Most of America's greatest stained glass, during the nineteenth century, was made in Germany and Britain, and some came from France and Italy. Typical of these windows were biblical scenes exquisite in detail and color. The painted faces and hands were remarkably lifelike. By walking slowly from window to window, one could picture, for example, the Nativity scene; the young Jesus at the temple; his baptism, ministry, trial, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. Thus, the stained glass visually told the Christian message to the illiterate masses. At the turn of the twentieth century, American stained glass briefly became the world's finest when Louis Comfort Tiffany took the art to new heights. Eccentric, brilliant, and wealthy, Tiffany created new forms for molding thick rippled glass using strikingly beautiful pastel colors. Unconcerned about profit, Tiffany sought to create the ultimate stained glass masterpiece; a goal he achieved in church after church. American stained glass quality remained high during the thirties and forties with the emergence of such studios as Connick, Willet, Payne and Lamb. By the half-century mark, however, an inferior product predominated. In many respects this was due to the death or retirement of the founding artists of those studios, a national de-emphasis on art and craftsmanship, and the church's desires for quick property expansion rather than lasting inspiration. Although the industry
remains substantially below the standards of Tiffany, Connick, Willet
and other artists of the early 1900's, a slow resurgence of quality and
care has taken place since the 1980s. Much of the resurgence |
has been in faceted glass (a thick brilliantly colored glass fastened with epoxy). Leaded glass, in some disfavor in recent decades, shows a healthy comeback. Why
Stained Glass? The Story – No other form of art so perfectly blends God's great gift of light with the impact of the visualized biblical story. The stained glass scenes are often one's earliest remembrance of a church experience. Long before a child is able to absorb the verbal message, he or she can contemplate the conceptual one told visually through stained glass. Tradition and Heritage – So powerful is the relationship between the stained glass window and the church, it is difficult to imagine one without the other. Recent decades have seen a valid emphasis on the church ministry rather than the church building, but the longing to have inspirational windows has helped church leaders view stained glass as a tangible ministry of its own... one that is timeless. An increasing number of new sanctuaries are being built not only for current space, but in addition, as a heritage for future generations. Inspirational
Art – Recently a fifteen foot-square Tiffany window
was advertised for $60,000 – a staggering $4,000 per square foot.
Although such prices are a rarity, European and American pictorial stained
glass has replacement values approaching $500 to $700 per square
foot. Consistently, it is the church's stained glass windows that are
the greatest pieces of art. When beautiful and inspirational stained
glass art does exist, the church leaders invariably gather volunteers
to lead guests on informational tours of the windows. It |
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