Stained Glass Windows, Lighting & Panels by Gilded Splinters

Bespoke Stained Glass Design, Creation and Installation by Gilded Splinters

Stained Glass Information

by Glyn Akroyd & Kim Harley

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Please select a subject from the links below to read more about the History of Stained Glass or the processes involved in Stained Glass:

Stained Glass: Beginnings
Designing Stained Glass
Making Stained Glass
Assembling the Stained Glass
Further Reading & Stained Glass Resources

Stained Glass: Beginnings

Making Stained Glass is an ancient art the earliest known Stained Glass is Saxon, dating from the 7th century, although evidence of glass making has been found in Egypt from as far back as 400 BC. It is no surprise that Stained Glass was once a source of wonder craftsmen using natural materials, earth or sand, in conjunction with alkali and with the application of heat, could create this incredible translucent substance, capable of repelling the weather and yet admitting light.

During the Middle Ages, the cost of glass would have been exorbitant, and coloured glass would have been an even more valuable commodity. Because of this, small scraps of coloured glass would be incorporated into windows as borders, decorations or coloured details, rather than being discarded. In the later Middle Ages, it was not uncommon for wealthy individuals to commission Stained Glass windows as a way of 'buying their ticket to heaven'.

The primary purpose in making Stained Glass windows was an expression of faith, coupled with a desire to beautify the house of God. Stained Glass images were often created not just to be attractive, but also with a message or meaning within the picture, and this is still true today. Today as much as in the past, Stained Glass is closely linked both to its architectural setting and to the light of the sky beyond.

Designing Stained Glass

Firstly, a design of the window needs to be produced to establish the dimensions, form and colours. This is now usually done on paper by hand or, in recent years, using one of the many Stained Glass Design software products. Before paper was freely available, the design was made as an outline on a whitened table, which was then scrubbed clean afterwards, hence the designs were one-offs. Later in the Middle Ages, the general practice was to measure and sketch the site, then make a vidimus, or small sketch prepared to scale. The scale drawing would then be enlarged to full-size and traced onto transparent paper or linen to make a cutline showing the design of the window, the placing of supporting saddle bars, divisions of the glass and the pattern of the leading outlines.

An interesting development in the design and creation of Stained Glass windows in recent centuries saw artists designing windows and craftsmen making them. An excellent example of this is John Piper, one of the most famous Stained Glass designers of the 20th century, who did not actually make the windows himself but created full-scale designs in colour so that the craftsmen responsible for making the Stained Glass windows were left in no doubt of his intentions.

Making Stained Glass

The techniques used today in making Stained Glass are basically the same as those from the Middle Ages. Molten glass was cast into a shallow mould by blowing an elongated bubble which would then be trimmed and flattened, or it could be placed into an iron cylinder and blown again. This would then be cooled, or annealed and cut. Before 1500, the glass would be cut by a stick or grouting iron, but since then diamonds have been used for a cleaner break. Using the original design, the glass is then cut into pieces which relate directly to the shapes and colours required. Half-tones or textures can be applied at this stage to define details such as faces, hands or drapery. Another technique is to apply matting (a layer of glass paint) at this stage to alter the colours of the glass.

Assembling the Stained Glass

Stained Glass windows such as those in churches are fixed together with lead calms. Lead was flexible, relatively durable, easily cut and soldered, and the leading would have been included as part of the designing of the window. The medieval glazier could vary the width of these calms to provide emphasis to the image. Previously, calms were sand cast in a box, but are now usually cast in moulds. Generally, for larger Stained Glass windows, extra support is given using horizontal and/or vertical 'saddlebars', which can be set into the structure surrounding the window on each side.