Stained Glass Styles & Value

by Dr. Lori Verderame

Stained Glass History

The typical styles of stained glass used in the 1800s and 1900s included stained glass windows in the traditionally European 19th-century pictorial style which was prominent between 1820-1930, Quarry glazing which was in its heyday from 1850-1870, Enamel painted glass popular from 1800-2005, and Aesthetic and Opalescent style glass en vogue from 1870-1920.

Non-figural quarry stained glass windows represent the modest beginnings of America’s stained glass tradition. Quarry glazing was a popular type of European stained glass used in the 14th and 15th Centuries. Early quarry glazing offered small sections of glass to be assembled into a colorful lattice pattern and used on churches and other important buildings.

Many Protestant congregations in American in the early 1800s adopted this non-figurative method of stained glass decoration  because of a shortage of technical resources and money. The ornamental patterning and use of universal imagery is evident in the stained glass tradition of the mid 19th Century.

Stained Glass Styles

The use of the swag of bell flowers is characteristic of the  Victorian form of stained glass found in antique furniture and stained glass design work of the late 1800s. The rounded or Renaissance inspired arches in stained glass windows are typical of architectural designs in the late 19th Century known as the Renaissance Revival style. This style was found in many well to do homes. The formal nature of these windows refer to the fact that it is used in residential architecture rather than in church architecture.

Depending on the size, style, condition and proper identification of stained glass, many antique or vintage pieces of stained glass can be very valuable with selling prices of upwards of $2,000 to $100,000 depending on various factors. Large Tiffany stained glass windows depending on various factors can range in value from $25,000 to $150,000.

Request an online appraisal of your stained glass piece from Dr. Lori.