Between the 12th and the 15th centuries, stained glass became a preferred medium to animate medieval sacred spaces with glimmering images and colourful light. Despite this, the early medieval aesthetics of stained glass remains underexplored. The traditional narrative is that the idea of stained glass originated in Late Antique Roman opus sectile – a technique of inlaid stones or glass –, even though it is not supported by any consistent reconstruction. The aim of the proposed project is to demonstrate that technical and visual aspects of stained glass are rooted in glass production. The ingenious compartmentation of space and colours to create an image is found especially in the cloisonné jewellery. It is thus suggested that stained glass originates in the early Middle Ages, which revolutionized medieval image-making. The project thus may result in the re-focus of scholarship on the marginalized “minor” arts of the Migration period and European early Middle Ages in the formation of “medieval aesthetics”. The main outputs will be a conference, its proceedings, and a final monograph.

Sustainable Development Goals

Masaryk University is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to improve the conditions and quality of life on our planet by 2030.