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.
Glass and the Arts & Crafts movement
The Arts & Crafts movement blossomed in England and America in the mid 19th century. It prompted an interest in hand-made objects and quality workmanship spearheaded by William Morris (1834-1896) and his company, Morris & Company. A popular artisan of the movement was Sir Edward Burne-Jones who produced stained glass windows for the Victorian collectors of the day. Stained glass was an important design aspect of the movement and many artisans highlighted stained glass.
In American, Edward Burne-Jones had an important and well known counterpart in the accomplished designer named John LaFarge (1835-1910). LaFarge worked alongside W. J. McPherson. LaFarge made opalescent glass pieces and created stained glass windows in opalescent glass in the 1870s. This process made it unnecessary to paint the glass pieces, design them like painting’s compositions, and later, fire it in a kiln.
Other stained glass masters included the artisans John LaFarge who was active in the late 1800s to 1910, Louis Comfort Tiffany who was commissioned to produced stained glass windows for public institutions and private clients, and Frank Lloyd Wright who integrated stained glass windows into his architectural works. John LaFarge’s stained glass windows were highly detailed and extremely decorative.
In 1885, Louis Comfort Tiffany established the Tiffany Glass Company. Tiffany windows were made using many different types of glass making techniques. They featured landscapes, Biblical figures, and other detailed figures in complex compositions. Tiffany made stained glass for various clients, civic and private organizations and many were produced for significant buildings such as churches and private homes of the wealthy elite in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Louis Comfort Tiffany first began experimenting with glass art in 1873. He opened the Tiffany Glass Company, a famous American firm for the decorative arts, in 1885. Tiffany produced stained glass windows for many different clients using various techniques with opalescent, etched, and enameled glass. Other famous artists also worked in stained glass including Frank Lloyd Wright, the Prairie School modernist and Marc Chagall, the modern artist and painter, among others.
Glass History
The history of glass dates back to the ancient world. In ancient Roman history, the Phoenician merchants made the first glass items in the region of present day Syria around 5,000 BC. According to archaeological findings, the first man made glass was discovered in Eastern Mesopotamia and Egypt around 3,500 BC. Vessels of glass date back to approximately 1,500 BC in these areas, too. For the next three centuries, the glass industry increased rapidly and then took a sharp decline in production. The discovery of glassblowing was a major breakthrough, circa 1st century BC. In Mesopotamia, the glass industry was revived, circa 700 BC. In Egypt, glass making was popular circa 500 BC. As a result, in the areas of Egypt, Syria, and the other countries along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the making and manufacturing of glass made these areas center for glass for the next 500 years.
Early on, it was very difficult to manufacture glass and production of glass was slow. In the beginning, glass melting furnaces were small scale and the heat they produced was hardly enough to melt glass. By the 1st century BC, Syrian craftsmen invented the blow pipe which revolutionized the glass making process. This revolutionary discovery made glass production easier, faster, and cheaper. Glass making flourished in the Roman Empire. The production of glass making spread from Italy to all of the countries under its rule. In 1,000 AD, Alexandria, in Egypt, was the most important center of glass manufacturing at the time.
By the time of Crusades, glass manufacturing developed in Venice, Italy. Venice became a glassmaking center of the western world. In 1291, glassmaking equipment was transferred to the island of Murano. During 15th century Venetian glass blower, Angelo Barovier, crated cristallo, a nearly colorless and transparent glass. Throughout Europe, the art of making stained glass on churches, civic buildings, and cathedrals across the continent reached its height in the 13th and 14th centuries. Some of the finest examples of stained glass work of the era is exemplified in the cathedrals at Chartres in France and Conterbury in England. These cathedral windows remain among some of the finest examples of stained glass work in the world. By the late 1500’s, many Venetians went to northern Europe seeking better life where they established factories and brought the art of Venetian glassblowing.
By 1575, English glassmakers were making glass items like the Venetians including glass blowing. In 1674, an English glassmaker named George Ravenscroft invented lead glass making for new methods for glass production. Across the ocean, the Americans had the honor of founding the first glass factory in the United States. The first glass factory was located in the colony of Jamestown, Virginia in 1608.
In the early 1800s, there was a great demand for window glass, also called crown glass. Stained glass windows were a big part of the tradition of the architectural styles of the Renaissance and Gothic revivals in the mid to late 19th century. After 1890, glass manufacturing increased rapidly and the results prompted glass-based art movements that remain among some of the most popular in the history of art, design, and architecture. New types of machinery for glass making was, during this period, developed for the precise, continuous, and accurate manufacture of many new glass-based products.
In 1902, Irving W. Colburn invented the sheet glass drawing machine which made it possible for the mass production of decorative window glass and staiend glass. In 1904, the American engineer named Michael Owens patented an automatic glass blowing machine to make bottles. This changed the face of the drink, apothecary, and other industries that relied upon glass bottles for their products and the distribution and storage of those products. During the early 20th century, more stained glass pieces were produced by some of the major designers of the day including Tiffany, Sotter, and others. Stained glass was also part of some of America’s most famous houses including those designed by Frank Lloyd Wright such as the Avery Coonley house and the Little house.
In 1959, new revolutionary float glass production was introduced by Sir Alastair Pilkington. This new technique continues to impact the glass manufacturing processes as approximately 90 percent of flat glass is still manufactured using the float glass process.
Today, stained glass windows continue to attract collectors and enthusiasts as the art form has evolved over the centuries. Stained glass windows have proven to increase value of real estate and buildings as well as collectible stained glass objects.
Request an online appraisal of your stained glass piece from Dr. Lori.
