This fortnightly
feature was published on August 16
The many hues of stained glass
By
Harkiran Sodhi
IN their quest to be different in
home decor, people have exhausted options in what is new.
So, they often look back at what used to be. Stained
glass is one such example. It used to be commonplace
earlier, then it became outre and was cast aside.
It is now showing signs of revival.
"Eye-catching", "vivid", and
"expensive" are some of the terms used to
describe stained glass. To understand and appreciate it,
we must know what to look for while buying stained glass
and a little about its history.
Stained glass is a term
used to describe windows and other objects composed of
coloured glass which are created by adding metallic
oxides set in designs. The beauty of a stained glass is
not only in the design and colours that it abounds in,
but the dramatic, changing effects created by the light
that passes through it through the day.
Paintings are used in
homes to create a point of interest where they are hung.
They bring about different feelings in different people
at various times. Stained glass was created for a similar
purpose. The changing light during the day, constantly
changes the effect and impact of the piece on the viewer.
Contrast in the room adds to the depth and brilliance of
the colours of a good stained glass piece, which is why
most of the windows seen in the dark interiors of
churches seem so much more vivid and rich.
Earlier, large windows
were the most common area for stained glass to be
displayed or used, but today there are just as many
different options for stained glass in the homes as you
want. From the regular window panes to door panels, you
can have stained glass on mirror edges, lamp shades, as
panels used any where, book-ends, and sun-catchers to
name a few.
The
history of stained glass goes back a long way. In the
West the earliest stained glass dates from the 11th
century onwards. However, the finest stained-glass
windows were produced from about 1130 to 1330. Islamic
countries favoured the use of coloured glass, which was
set in wooden or stucco frames as early as in the 12th
century. The most extensive use of stained glass,
however, first occurred in Abbot Sugers rebuilding
(1137-44) of the Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris,
and The Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, built in 1243-48, which
contains 15 enormous windows with 1,134 narrative scenes
that form walls of glass.
When this art spread to
the USA, its most successful practitioners were John La
Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Their names are still
associated with modern stained glass and they are the
ones who managed to bring this art form from the
cathedrals and churches into homes.
Tiffany, during a series
of experiments, discovered Favrile an
iridescent glass which he used for the stained glass work
he was to do over the years and his Tiffany lamp shades
were to go on to become a legend in their own right.
His trademark on these
lamps was the flower he was most partial to as a design,
the peony, as was the finishing he used. The worked bits
of the lamps were mounted in copper foil and then
soldered with copper instead of the customary lead,
giving them a unique stamp.
Stained-glass technique
has changed very little since its start in the 11th
century. In India, the glass that is used for stained
glass is imported from Czechoslovakia, Germany, and USA
which is why it is expensive. This glass is then
coloured, with different metal oxides and the design is
traced onto paper which is the exact size of the final
product. The glass pieces are cut out with a carbide
cutter and ground and then bound together by copper.
Earlier lead was used instead of copper but this tended
to give way with age and therefore it was replaced with
copper which is stronger.
In the earlier days,
stained glass windows were created by placing pieces of
glass of various colours together on a full-size model or
drawing of the window where they were joined with lead
strips and soldered in place. These assembled panels were
then suspended in the window frame on iron bars called
armatures. Till the 12th century windows these armatures
were straight, but by the early 13th century they were
shaped into a variety of shapes ranging from circles,
lozenges, qua trefoils, as well as a combination
of these.
The bright colours are the
eye-catching part in any stained glass panel. In the
earlier years the colours were achieved by mixing metal
oxides with the molten glass during smelting; the
chartres blue was obtained from cobalt mined in Bohemia,
red was obtained from oxidised copper, green from bioxide
of copper, purple from manganese mixed with cobalt, and
yellow from manganese and ferrous oxide. The decorations,
and lettering were painted in Grissalle, a gray-brown
enamel which was baked on the glass.
While buying a stained
glass piece what should one look for? Apart from seeing
that the design is proportionate and pleasing to the eye,
check the colours in different light to see the effect.
Often painted glass is passed off as stained glass and
people buy it none the wiser. While buying stained glass
see it from close as well as far.
Viewed from close, you can
tell the fakes as they are mostly on regular plain glass
while stained glass is on opalescent, bevelled or other
such glass. Look closely at the cuts and joins to
ascertain that they are joined with lead rather than a
cheaper or quicker alternative. The lines and cuts on a
genuine stained glass will be more in number and on both
sides of the glass.
Maintaining stained glass
is not difficult at all. Daily dusting as well as weekly
cleaning with a mild detergent mixed in water and a soft
brush should do the trick. If your stained glass is on a
window or lamp shade it is more important to clean it
regularly as the dust shines through the light giving it
a shabby look. Sun-catchers are less prone to attracting
as much dust as they are protected by a window pane on
the outside.
Stained glass is beautiful
to look at no matter in what shape it is used. The
jewel-like colours that deepen and lighten with the day
often seem to reflect the weather and the moods of those
who look at them.
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