Publication details
At the Origins of the Art of Stained Glass in Western Europe (Fifth to Ninth Centuries)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | FOLIA HISTORIA ARTIUM Seria Nowa |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://pau.krakow.pl/index.php/en/publications/scientific-journals/folia-historiae-artium/the-current-issue |
| Keywords | Stained glass; early Middle Ages; cloisonné; fragmentation; |
| Attached files | |
| Description | The article examines the origins of the art of stained glass in Western Europe between the fifth and ninth centuries, preceding the earliest surviving stained-glass windows from the 1120s–1130s. It presents partial results from a research project that aims to trace the development of stained glass during this period by exploring its dissemination, potential connections with jewellery-making (particularly cloisonné with garnets, glass, and enamels), and its relationship with late antique opus sectile in glass and marble. Despite the absence of intact stained-glass windows before the twelfth century, numerous archaeological finds of flat glass window fragments, mostly dating from the sixth to the ninth centuries, attest to the widespread presence of stained-glass windows in early medieval Western Europe. Two main regions of diffusion have been identified: Merovingian and Carolingian Gaul, and Anglo-Saxon England. The research project (2023–2025) analyses archaeological and written sources to investigate the origins of stained glass, considering techniques, connections with related arts, and its relationship with architecture. The aim is to outline the early history of stained glass, from the first glazing traditions to the fully developed medieval stained-glass window. Adopting an art-historical perspective, the study seeks to elucidate the aesthetic motivations behind the emergence of stained glass, which appears to have originated in Christian basilicas of Gaul in the second half of the fifth century. The project also explores the role of an ‘aesthetics of fragmentation’ across various artistic media and late Latin literature. A survey of published archaeological finds of window glass from the fifth to the ninth century has identified approximately 150 find contexts from about 120 sites. These data have been compiled into a continuously updated database, supplemented by maps for enhanced visualization. The survey documents provenance, chronology, cultural context, technical characteristics, glass morphology, presence of painting, glass composition and techniques, evidence of workshops, and bibliographic references. Early medieval stained glass marks a departure from Roman and late antique traditions, partly due to the technical and material shift following the end of soda-lime glass production and the emergence of potash glass. Roman stained glass was predominantly colourless, in contrast to the rich polychromy of medieval stained glass. Early Christian basilicas often employed window screens made of stone or stucco transennae, filled with green natural glass or lapis specularis. Some late Roman texts previously interpreted as references to early stained glass more likely describe coloured glass used in other forms, such as sectilia inlays. Unlike late antique opus sectile wall panels, the earliest stained-glass windows of the early medieval period were generally non-figurative ‘mosaic windows’, composed of geometrically shaped coloured flat glass set into geometric frameworks. Painting on glass, especially grisaille, appeared around the eighth century and became widespread in the Carolingian period. Current research also examines the development of stained glass in relation to cloisonné jewellery. Early cloisonné (fifth–seventh centuries) used gems, garnets, and cold-cut glass in aniconic or simple symbolic compositions, while from the seventh century onward vitreous enamel enabled figurative imagery. A similar transition from aniconic to figurative forms can be observed in stained glass, as illustrated by the unpainted figurative windows from Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville, Jarrow, and San Vincenzo al Volturno (late seventh/eighth–ninth century). The project further explores the interaction between glassworking and metalworking ateliers in monastic contexts as centres of technical and artistic exchange. |
| Related projects: |