Stained Glass Windows

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Stained Glass Windows

• Movies of the Middle Ages

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Stained Glass WindowsWere

• The Medieval equivalent of todays movies or
  television.
• A visual means of communicating spiritual truths.
• Designed to show illiterate, simple people who
  could not read the Holy Scriptures what they
  should believe.

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In the Cathedral

• A tour of the ambulatory to contemplate the
  windows was an essential step for every pilgrim
  and catechist.
• Together with the instrumental music, the choral
  singing, the ringing of bells, the statues and
  the carved decorations, the smell of incense and
  burning candles, the stained glass windows formed
  a medieval multimedia experience.

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Visitors could walk all the way around the inside
of the cathedral contemplating the windows. (In
the ambulatory)
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What was the process used to make a stained glass
window?

• Make colored glass.
• Cut it to fit a pattern.
• Join the pieces together with lead.
• Fill in any gaps with clay (putty)
• Brush with sawdust to remove excess clay (putty)

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Contemporary Artisans Use Similar Techniques
A Pattern
A Pattern 20 filled with glass
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Early artisans cut the small colored glass panes
to size and then painted them with black
solder/flux , a mixture of iron and copper
powder.
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Miniatures often provided the models and patterns
for the stained glass windows
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The only colors available in the early Middle
Ages were saffron-yellow, purplish-red, green,
blue and copper-red.
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To Create these Colors in the Glass, Certain
Powdered Metals Were Added to the Glass While the
Mixture Was Still Molten.

• Adding powdered gold made the glass cranberry.
• Adding powdered cobalt made blue.
• Adding powdered silver made yellows and golds.
• Adding powdered copper made greens and brick red.

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After 1300, silver solder/flux was also
available, which allowed for a new range of
colors, for example light yellow and
reddish-yellow. The colors were melted onto the
glass.
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The panes of glass could be leaded as soon as
they had cooled. The pliable lead strips could be
easily bent to shape
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The lead grid had to be carefully applied, as it
provided the frame for the pictorial design. Any
cracks were then filled with clay.
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Generally the complete window would then be
inserted into the masonry window frame and fixed
with mortar.
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What was the subject matter used for stained
glass windows?

• Scenes from the Old Testament
• Scenes from the Life of Jesus
• Scenes from the Life of Mary
• Images of the Saints and Martyrs
• Images of the Apostles
• Depictions of the Virtues and Vices
• Scenes from daily medieval life, e.g. money
  changers at work, women weaving at a loom

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Jonah (City Church of St. Dionysus, 1280) The
Prophet had to spend three days in a fishs belly
to atone for his disobedience. Jesus lay in His
grave for the same length of time to expiate the
sins of Mankind. Therefore, notice that the two
themes have been combined here.
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The Jonah scene has been cleverly fitted into the
surrounding Banderoles and Plant Arabesques. The
scene is very dramatic, showing a man forcing the
disobedient prophet into the fishs maw.
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Adoration of the Kings, ( Esslingen 1320)
The Three Wise Men from the East present the
child Jesus with gifts.
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St. George 1400-1410 Southern Germany
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Mary at the Loom (from the Mary window, Esslingen
ca.1330)Here you can make out clearly what a
medieval braiding loom looked like, and how women
operated it.
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It was usual in the Middle Ages to discriminate
between good and evil animals, to ascribe to them
human qualities, and to combine these
symbolically with biblical themes. Lions and
Eagles symbolize strength.
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The Aesthetics of Stained Glass Windows

• Windows also provided more light.
• They enhanced the visual beauty of the
  cathedrals.
• They represented and reinforced Gods glory.

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Can you tell what story each of the following
stained glass windows is depicting?
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1. Who are these two women? Hint Notice the
haloes!
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2. Hint What is the figure on the left holding?
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3. Notice the raised arms of the figures in red
and yellow.
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4. This one is easy!
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5. Hint What is wrapped around the staff?
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Answers

• 1. The Visitation of Mary, (Strasbourg, 1444)
• 2. Giving the Keys of the Church to Peter
• (Cologne, 1315)
• 3. The Scourging of Christ
• 4. The Adoration of the Kings
• 5. The Temptation of Adam and Eve (Speyer, 1280)

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Windows As Resources

• City Church of St. Dionysius, Esslingen 1280
• Cathedral of Notre Dame at Reims
• Chartres Cathedral

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Web Resources Used

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Special
  Topics Page Stained Glass In Medieval Art)
• metmuseum.org
• Medieval Stained Glass Windows From Esslingen
• bawue.de/wmwerner/essling/english/glas

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