The History of Stained Glass
13thC stained glass history
If there was a moment in the history of stained glass windows that we could point at and say ‘bingo!’, the 13thC was it. With the ability of architects to reduce the area of wall space came the opportunity for religious stained glass windows to flourish and tell the stories of the Old Testament to an illiterate populace. During this period Christian stained glass was, in more ways than one, divine. Any account of stained glass has to mention the fabulous Chartres Cathedral, containing a staggering 160 stain glass windows and three roses, created between 1200 and 1240.
At the same time as Cathedral stained glass celebrated Christianity, it also proclaimed money and status, and many a businessman wanted to be in on the act. Nowhere is this more telling than in Bourges Cathedral, 1210-15, where we see a detail of from the Life of St.John the Evangelist showing bakers (the donors) at work. Priceless! Cynicism aside, take a look at the beautiful stained glass painting on show – I prefer it to Chartres; it has a fluid, textural quality that sets it apart.
The third aspect of this period is the emergence of grisaille in response to the high cost of making gothic stained glass windows. Grisaille literally means ‘to make grey’, but in fact it’s more of a beautiful silvery shimmering haze created by painting foliage on plain glass and finely cross-hatching the areas in between to disturb the light. If any of you have seen the ‘Five Sisters’ in York Minster, c.1260, you’ll know what I mean.
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