A Closer Look at Medieval Stained Glass and Its Importance

There is perhaps no type of stained glass more well-known than Medieval Stained Glass. The Medieval period was not only when stained glass reached its highest popularity, but also when it evolved the most.

Artists of this time developed valuable solutions that became forever important to the future of glassmaking. Without these crucial developments, stained glass windows as they are today would not exist. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Medieval Stained Glass and its evolution.

What Is Medieval Stained Glass?

Medieval Stained Glass is stained glass created between the 10th and 16th centuries in Europe. During this time, stained glass evolved from a rarely used art form to one of the most popular. As the art grew in popularity and demand increased, artists discovered creative ways to make the windows look more alluring and unique.

While some Medieval stained glass windows were created for government buildings and resident properties, the vast majority were designed for churches. For this reason, most of the windows display some type of religious design. Subjects range from narrative scenes to portraits, landscapes, and iconic symbols.

A Significant Time Period for Glass Art

During the Medieval era, stained glass as an art form evolved dramatically. Windows from the 8th century have been found that show stained glass in its earliest beginnings. These windows were neither painted nor elaborate. However, they led to the development of more intricate works in the 10th century. As the number of churches grew, so did the number of stained glass windows.

Glass used for these works was either a soda-lime-silica composition or potash-lime-silica glass. Artisans found that they could change the color of the glass by applying heat for varying periods of time. Copper and other materials were also added to alter these effects. Then the glass was painted in washed layers with enamel paints. The finest details were added last, then the paint was set by firing it in a kiln.

Stained glass windows from this time period are not valuable only because they teach us about our art history, but also the history of human kind. These windows give us incredible insights into how people lived throughout Medieval times. They are, in short, indispensable to our knowledge of human history.

Learn More About Stained Glass

Medieval Style Stained Glass is just one of the many types of stained glass that we offer at Scottish Stained Glass in Denver. For more information on stained glass or our services, please contact our office.