SGODesignerGlass.com Blog

Stained glass is a perfect example of the beautiful forms glass can take when complimented with architecture. The stunning colors displayed in dazzling disorder have left churchgoers in awe for many centuries. Found in churches all over Europe, these historic pieces of art are prone to get damaged by constant exposure to pollutants in the environment. The reason for which is that glass itself is fragile. Second, along with the glass, the paints used for its decoration and the framework of metal, used to hold the complete artwork, are also prone to deterioration and corrosion because of the ever-pervasive pollution.

This degradation can occur over time, and at times it may occur all of a sudden. In addition to pollution, the damage can happen due to natural causes, such as fire, accidents caused during handling, and also deliberately by vandals.

For posterity, there is a need to preserve historic pieces of art, which can become possible by reversing the degradation process. There is also a need to protect stained glass from accidents and deliberate destruction. This is what conservation and preservation of stained glass is all about.  SGO Designer Glass provides beautiful and original custom stained glass, which is easy to take care of and stand the test of time better than most other brands.

The Deterioration Process

Glass is quite stable, chemically speaking. However, the ratio of silica and other additives affects its stability and resilience. Glass in the earlier times comprised less silica and more of potash. This makes it increasingly prone to decay.

Another fact is that condensation damages the painted surface of the glass. Stained glass is generally placed in such a manner that it is exposed to the external atmospheric conditions. The constant exposure to UV rays of the sun and extreme conditions of weather, exposure to internal and external pollutants, and damage caused by pigeons, bats, and other pests and insects — all add to its deterioration process.

Exposure to UV rays can lead to discoloration of the paints used in staining the glass, and the enamels used can also flake off with time. Moreover, the role of water in this deterioration process cannot be ignored. What actually happens is that water accumulation builds up alkaline traces, which react with the silica, causing the glass surface to decay.

The Conservation Process

Every conservation process starts with a plan, as no two projects are the same. Different eras and different regions had their own specific ways of making stained glass. Here, the type of products and the methods used in the production process also need to be taken into account.

All this starts with the way basic glass is made. During different times, the composition of the glass was different, having different ratios of the inherent ingredients. This would bear on the type of impurities and the subsequent deterioration of the glass.

Generally, it happens that a thorough and careful cleaning of the glass effectively improves its condition by allowing penetration of more light, which adds to the esthetics.

So, the basic philosophy behind conservation of stained glass is that there should be bare minimum intervention. Any process or treatment given should be reversible, if need be, without affecting the overall appeal of the original artwork. SGO Designer Glass custom made stained glass makes the process of conservation much easier and you can rest assured that these beautiful works of art will retain their charm and grace for decades to come.

The origin of stained glass is lost in the obscurity of history. There are many legends about its origin, but none of them sounds reliable. The first glass made by man was known to be in the form of glass beads and was made by the ancient Egyptians. Stained glass probably started as a Christian art form. It is thought to be inspired by cloisonné enamel work, developments in tile mosaic, as well as jewelry making. It came to be associated with churches and the earliest example, where pieces of colored glass were used in a window, has been found in a monastery built in 686 AD.

In the 12^th century, in what is known in architecture as the Gothic Era, this form of glass art came to be used extensively. This was so because vaulted ceilings and flying buttresses left large wall areas in cathedrals which could be appropriately filled with glass. These large windows, which were filled with the new glass art form, replaced the smaller Romanesque windows. In the same century, the Norman conquest of England brought artists of this art form from France and Germany to England. The earliest form of stained glass in windows, dating around 1150 AD, can be found in York.

Stained Glass And Renaissance

The Gothic style continued to flourish in the first few decades of the 15^th century. However, in the middle of the century, the Renaissance painters took over, and this traditional glass art form declined, along with the Gothic architecture in cathedrals. However, masterpieces in this art form were still produced occasionally. The previous glory of this great art form was lost, and subsequently forgotten.

Considered primarily to be a Catholic form of art, with the advent of reformation, stained glass was recklessly destroyed all over Europe when Protestantism took over. This led to the use of clear glass, painted over with enamel.

America and Stained Glass

Many centuries later, in the later part of the 19^th century, the opulent American families took to stained glass in their magnificent homes. However, this stained glass had its own peculiarity. American glass artists used opalescent glass as opposed to translucent glass preferred by those across the Atlantic. The great artists of the day, such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, John La Farge, and D. Maitland Armstrong, among others, preferred the mixture of colors in opalescent glass. Though this glass allowed less light to pass through, it perfectly complimented the interiors made of stone and marble.

Contemporary History

Contemporary forms of this glass art does not have any distinctive style. There was a sudden intensification in the production of stained glass after the 1^st and the 2^nd World Wars. However, this was only for restoration of the windows that were destroyed during the wars. The styles that had existed were copied and there was hardly any input of new innovations.

Artists, such as Matisse, Braque, Leger, among others, went outside the traditional with their abstract and semi-abstract art forms. And today, stained glass is made mostly for restoration work and for experimenting with new techniques.

When the sun’s rays pass through a stained glass window, one can view a dazzling spectacle! A stained glass window is a work of art which amazes and mesmerizes one and all. First used in the French and German churches, stained glass has now become an integral part of residential and commercial architecture. Anyone who has visited the Disney World’s Cinderella Castle in Orlando, Florida, would be spellbound by the exquisiteness of the lovely stained glass work that can be seen there. Whether it is the famous stained glass windows of La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris or the stained glass panels in Bronx subway stations, custom-built stained glass never fails to enhance the ambience of a place.

Residential

No matter where the stained glass is installed, it always adds to the uniqueness of the residential structure. It can be installed in any room of a home. Front doors, windows, domes, skylights, kitchen cabinets and bathroom enclosures are some of the places where stained glass panels are installed. Installing an original, custom-built stained glass front door improves the appeal of a house. In fact, a professionally installed custom built stained glass window can cast a magical spell in the lighting of a room.

Commercial

The versatility of stained glass makes it the perfect material to be used in restaurants, hotels, lounges, casinos, clubs, offices and other commercial settings. Stained glass windows can easily transform a bare office into a pleasant place of work. Beautifully installed stained glass windows lend a medieval aura to hotel lobbies and restaurants. Tailor made stained glass also increases the commercial value of a space.

Religious

Located within Prague Castle, St. Vitus Church is famous for its decorative stained glass windows. Notre Dame Cathedral in France and Bath Abbey in the United Kingdom are also renowned for their beautiful stained glass. Numerous scenes from the Bible have been frozen for eternity into glass. Every element and shading has been done with great care and love. Artists of those times made stained glass designs using their hands and rudimentary tools which required much time and effort. Today, however, companies have specialized techniques and expertise to make beautiful stained glass panels for vestibules and altars in less time.

Whether one is looking for a stained glass window for a home, an office or a place of worship, professional stained glass companies like SGO Designer Glass come to mind. SGO can make a stained glass panel according to their customers’ unique designs and needs. Original, reverent, and beautiful religious glass designs, themed glass designs, and stylish professional designs are all offered by SGO Designer Glass. SGO can make panels in any color and shape. Today, manufacturers of stained glass panels are so versatile that the design one selects in a rectangular panel, can be easily adapted in round, oval, or arched panels. Text can also incorporated into stained glass panels.

Stained glass can lend magnificence to any space and setting. Since the Gothic Age, this invention has helped Man create masterpieces that have made our spaces alluring, and magnificent. Stained glass panels are rightly called luminous paintings that allow light to pass through and touch our body, heart, and soul.

A lot goes into the making of a stained glass window or panel. During the medieval period, a desire to glorify God and protect the congregation from the cold was the driving forces behind the advancements in stained glass window making. Traditionally stained glass was used for making flat window panels for the churches. Today, modern artists make three-dimensional stained glass structures effortlessly.

Besides rendering beauty to the surroundings, a stained glass window also needs to serve as a functional window. For this, the stained glass panel should fit tightly into the space for which it is made, should provide protection against wind and rain, and also be able to support its own weight.

Creating a Stained Glass Window

Artistic skills as well as engineering skills are required to make beautiful stained glass panels or windows and assemble them piece by piece.

• The first step in the making of a window is to obtain an accurate outline of the window opening where the glass is to fit in.
• Only after having a precise template for a window, can one decide the design for the stained glass panel.
• A small design called a Vidimus is now prepared.
• A traditional stained glass window panel relates a story. A symbolic window could have rows of saints or dignitaries. Scriptural texts are sometimes included. Filling the surrounding areas with borders, floral designs and shades is left to designer’s discretion.
• The designer must take into account the design of the window, the type and size of glass being used, and the technique being employed.
• The design is divided into a patchwork as a template for each small glass piece. A lead holds the glass in place and its exact position is a part of the planned visual effect.

• Each piece of glass is selected for its color so that it matches a section of the template. Grozing the edges ensure an exact fit.
• Details of figures are painted onto the inner surface of the glass with special glass paint containing finely ground lead or copper filings, ground glass, and gum using a medium such as wine or vinegar.
• After the cutting and painting is done, the pieces are assembled and the joints are soldered together. The window is made weatherproof by putting soft, oily cement between the seams.

Earlier, windows were fixed into the window spaces and iron rods were put at various points to support the weight. Today, many new types of glass have been developed for making stained glass windows. The modern day stained glass window making is a combination of art and engineering. The techniques, types of glass, glass paints, and shades are numerous. Professional stained glass companies like SGO Designer Glass make custom designed stained glass panels and work with the client from the start to the finish of the project so that the final product meets or exceeds client’s aspirations.

Stained glass windows are beautiful decorative pieces of art. You can see many of them in churches and in old homes. Today, there is a great demand for custom stained glass windows and other pieces of art. You can have these stained glass items made according to your specifications. Even today, they are equal to the traditional and classical art work in look and feel. These pieces of art can be fragile and require personal care.

Stained glass windows have been popular, especially in churches, for the last ten centuries. Although they had been designed to withstand the normal environmental and operational hazards, time has taken a toll on them. Today these old pieces of art need special attention and care.

Caring For Stained Glass

Glass is the main component of stained glass windows, whether bulk produced or custom made. The stain in the glass normally does not deteriorate but care needs to be taken that the glass does not crack, break, or has pieces that might go missing. If your stained glass windows are old pieces of art, it may be very difficult to replace the broken, cracked, or missing pieces. The same quality and type of glass may not be available. Over time, the textures and the colors available may vary and it may be difficult to match them.

It is best to ensure that glass does not get damaged. The stained glass panels are held to the wooden or metallic frames with the help of putty. Over time putty deteriorates and the glass may sag away at the seams. The lead, zinc, or copper used for holding the individual pieces together may develop gaps as well. All this needs to be looked after.

The panels may require to be taken out, the pieces dismantled, new lead cames or copper foils fixed, and the glass pieces reassembled into the same pattern. This is a cumbersome job and is best performed by experts.

Stained Glass Windows Today

You can have your custom stained glass windows made today to match the traditional ones. There have been improvements in glass making technology and the glass is more durable and strong. However, these stained glass windows offer the same look and feel as the traditional ones.

Stained glass windows made by SGO Designer Glass are quite popular. The glass, which forms the basis of such products, is made by combining a number of materials through a unique process. Lead, jewels, bevels, multi-colored mylars, and of course glass, are all used to manufacture SGO Designer Glass.

This glass is used to make stained glass windows for homes, offices and other commercial establishments, as well as churches, chapels, synagogues, and other places of worship.

SGO Designer Glass’ custom-built stained glass windows require minimum care and can easily be cleaned by normal window cleaning solutions and a soft cloth.

One sure way of aesthetically improving your home is by using stained glass. Stained glass windows have been in use, specifically in churches, since the 10^th century. Gaining more popularity, stained glass windows came to be custom-made for use in homes of the nobles and aristocrats of earlier times. Today, stained glass windows, or art glass windows, are used in offices, commercial establishments, and in various other places.

The terms ‘art glass’ and ‘stained glass’ are interchangeable, though the former also includes stained, blown, fused, beveled, etched, leaded, and cut glass styles of glass. The visual appeal of stained and other forms of glass is unbelievable. It renders class to the ambience.

One of the best applications of stained glass in homes is on the windows. It does not matter what the size of the window is. You have the choice of design, be it traditional, classical, or contemporary. The design can be used in external windows as well as internal ones. Stained glass is also used as room partitions, in cabinets, and in bathrooms as shower doors. When used in the entryways, they lend elegance to your home. You need not install a complete new door made with stained glass panels; instead you can install stained glass panels in place of the plain glass in your existing entryway door.

How to get Stained Glass Windows for your home?

There are three ways to have stained glass windows for your home. One is to pick up a piece of stained glass window from an online source. These will be of a particular size and shape and you can hang them in front of your existing plain windows. The second choice is to make your own stained glass window. This is a complicated and cumbersome process, but can provide the good feeling of accomplishment.

The third way is to have your art glass window custom made at a studio. The beautiful designs, the lovely glass textures, the large range of colors – all add up into the making of stained glass windows that lend character to your home. This will give you immense pleasure and add value to your home, if you ever decide to sell it. The light filtering through the stained glass windows reflects different colors at different times of the day. At night, light filtering from outside gives a prism like effect.

One way to improve your home is to customize your stained glass window with the help of SGO Designer Glass. A wide variety of textured glass is available for you to make a choice. SGO Designer Glass combines a multiple of materials to make your stained glass windows. Glass, lead, multi-layered mylars, bevels, jewels, and other materials go into the making of your stained or art glass windows. Go for SGO Designer Glass to have a unique experience.

Many studios offer custom stained glass windows for use in homes, offices, and other establishments. Generally speaking, stained glass and leaded glass are the same, except that in stained glass a number of colored pieces of glass are used and leaded glass designs often have no colors. You can have either of these products custom-made for your purpose. There is no limit to the kind of designs and styles you can have custom-made, the only limit being your imagination.

Stained glass is made by putting together small and big pieces of colored glass in a specific design. This glass first came into use as early as the 10^th century when stained glass windows were made for churches. This slowly gained ground and the nobles of the time started to get customized stained glass windows made for their homes. These products became very popular in the late 19^th century America due to the efforts of glass artists, such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, John La Farge, and D. Maitland Armstrong, etal. These artists initiated the use of opalescent glass in place of plain glass, which was in vogue in Europe then.

The pieces of stained glass windows are joined together with copper foil, lead cames or zinc. These are soldered together to form a panel, which is then framed to hold it together. The use of opalescent glass provided privacy when used in external or internal doors. Custom-made stained glass products are popularly used as dividers, doors, in kitchen cabinets and the bedroom, as well as in the bathrooms as shower doors. Leaded glass is so called as lead cames are used to join the glass pieces together, be it stained glass or glass with no color. The usage of lead lends elegance to the textured glass.

Of all the stained glass products, the most popular product is still the custom stained glass windows. It does not matter whether you wish to have your windows custom-made in a rectangular, square, oval, round or any other odd shape. All shapes are possible. Custom stained glass windows using leaded glass are also very popular in restaurants, hotels, casinos, and in a number of commercial establishments. Beautiful designs can be made today because many different and exquisite textures are available in glass. The use of SGO Designer Glass is quite popular. Materials, such as lead, glass, jewels, bevels, and multi-layered polyester films go into the making of SGO Designer Glass. Though the feel and the look is that of the traditional stained glass, SGO Designer Glass has more strength and durability.

SGO Designer Glass offers you in excess of 300 different colors and textures from which to select your custom stained glass windows and other products. These can be used for a number of decorative applications, be it in homes, in offices, in churches and chapels, or in any other places of worship. Using SGO Designer Glass for your custom leaded glass windows is a great option.

Stained glass windows were extensively used in churches in the Middle Ages. These were commissioned works of art based on religious themes. Then, in the late 19^th century, the traditional plain glass used for the stained glass windows was replaced by opalescent glass. Pioneered by John La Farge, and later popularized by great artists, such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and D. Maitland Armstrong, opalescent glass was found to blend well with marble and stone interiors.

Stained Glass in 21^st Century

Stained glass has often been miss-spelled as stain glass and the term has gained popularity in the 21^st century. Many people today are choosing to have stain glass windows built for their homes. The themes are no longer religious and various new techniques are used in making these lovely pieces.

Stained glass is extensively used as room dividers, as shower doors, and in the entryways of homes. Many commercial establishments also use SGO Designer Glass as booth dividers in their lobbies and for various applications in restaurants, hotels, and casinos.

The traditional stained glass windows, with their once popular religious themes, have been replaced by stained glass overlays, with cut glass and textured glass pattern. These can be custom made to suit your requirements.

Although the old classical themes are still in use for making SGO Designer Glass windows for churches, chapels, synagogues, and other places of worship, a combination of glass, lead, bevels, jewels, and multi-layered mylars, among other things is used to form solid glass in what is popularly known as stained glass overlay products.

Restoration Then and Today

Over the years, the wonderful stain glass artifacts have been adversely affected by climatic changes and environmental pollution. In olden days, the wooden frames were painted and then re-painted to hide the ravages of time.

Today, however, restoring stained glass windows is a big business. Restorers work hard to repair the stain glasses. Restoration work is however painstaking as the original material, colors, and designs – all have to be restored.

Some time back, restoration required removing the stained glass windows from their place and carefully packing them for transportation to the restoration studios. Careful tracings were made to work as blueprints for restoration work. Each and every piece was separated, cleaned, and then reassembled. Often, glass pieces to match the original were not available. The whole process was painstaking and time consuming.

Today, things are different; the modern techniques of making stained glass windows have made the maintenance of SGO Designer Glass products easy. The modern custom made SGO Designer Glass stain glass products require little care and maintenance. You just need to use a soft cloth and a household window cleaning solution to care for them.