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Stained glass windows of medieval cathedrals. Medieval stained glass windows Medieval castles with stained glass windows

The word "stained glass" itself is translated from Latin as "glass". It is considered one of the most sophisticated and distinctive art forms, rich in history and techniques. A brief history of the emergence of stained glass will be told to the reader in the article.

Prerequisites for the emergence of stained glass

Teachers, telling the story of the stained glass window for children in the classroom, begin with the root causes of its appearance. The emergence of the first civilizations is associated with many discoveries. It was then that glass began to be mined. Over time, we learned how to make it colored and use it to decorate various objects. Each culture had its own peculiarities of using such glass:

• The Sumerians decorated the roofs of their temples.
• The Egyptians wound glass in a spiral and made colored vessels out of it.
• The Romans and Greeks were experts in the manufacture of antique vases and goblets with decorative carvings and many ornaments.

All these discoveries date back to the beginning of the second millennium BC. Only a thousand years later, the Syrians learned to blow glass, which gave rise to the history of the development of stained glass.

The appearance of the first stained glass windows

In history, the appearance of the stained glass window is not marked by an exact date. But it is known that in the Christian era, they first began to use colored glass to make simple pictures. It was fixed on boards with the help of putty, or And with the advent of the first temples, Byzantine stained-glass windows received their development. Poems of praise and descriptions of glass compositions were popular with poets of the fourth to fifth century. In those days, divine significance was attached to stained-glass windows, and the light passing through them was compared with the holy spirit.

The history of development

Unfortunately, stained glass windows older than the tenth century in general condition have not survived to our era. They can be judged by the remaining fragments and the writings of the poets. But in the future, this type of art was widely developed and spread throughout all countries. Let's take a closer look at the history of the origin of stained glass windows, the change in styles and techniques in each era.

Romanesque stained glass

The history of the appearance of stained glass tells that the Romanesque arose in the eleventh century and were relevant for another century. It was they who became the first classic stained-glass windows, in which the picture was formed from pieces of colored glass and a metal profile.

Features of Romanesque stained glass:

• not everyone could afford them because of the high cost, since the technique of melting and blowing glass was very complicated and laborious;
• there were separate masters in the preparation of thin sheets of glass and specialists in the direct compilation of paintings, which increased the quality of Romanesque stained-glass windows;
• more than a hundred different pieces were needed to make one panel, each of which had its own shape and color;
• stained-glass windows of this era are characterized by such defects as the presence of bubbles, irregularities, scuffs, but this does not spoil their appearance at all, but makes them special and charming in their own way.

Technique for making Romanesque stained glass:

• to begin with, the master took a wooden surface and outlined a drawing of his future masterpiece on it;
• then glass pieces were selected for each element of the picture (in shape and size);
• painting with natural paint was applied to the necessary fragments, after which they were fired in an oven to fix the pattern;
• the mosaic was compiled into a whole image with the help of narrow lead bindings;
• since the windows in those days were large (about six meters), then for greater strength and stability, one large composition was made up of several smaller panels.

Romanesque masterpieces:

• the head of Christ from the Weissemburg Abbey of Alsace;
• composition of four Old Testament prophets in the Augsburg Cathedral;
• "Ascension of Christ" in the Augsburg Cathedral;
• "Crucifixion and Resurrection" on the cathedral windows in Poitiers;
• three stained glass windows of the Holy Trinity in the Cathedral of Chartres.

Gothic stained glass

The history of stained glass (Gothic) dates back to 1144. Abbot Sergius, during the construction of the church in Saint-Denis, filled the windows with several vertical medallions. The main difference from the Romanesque style in this composition was that an important moment in history was revealed in each medallion.

Features of Gothic Stained Glass:

• in cathedrals, the number of windows began to be increased for their decoration in the Gothic style;
• such architecture quickly gained popularity and was developed in England and France;
• stained glass windows of the past gave the temple a gloom associated with evil, and at the same time a great spirituality, enclosed in a large amount of light; such a ratio became ideal and carried a mystical meaning;
• over time, the saturated colors of red and blue were gradually replaced with lighter ones, so that as many rays as possible pass inside;
• the types of window openings have also changed;
• in France, a new lighting technique was invented - grisaille, the essence of which was that light, radiant stained-glass windows were placed in dark bulky rooms, letting in lighting; over time, the number of techniques of this style has become even more.

The most famous stained glass windows, made in the classical Gothic style, are found in the Cathedral of Chartres. It is in it that it is easy to trace the harmony between the majestic windows, gloomy architecture and the interior concept of the room. The flow of a large number of rays into the darkness and gloom gives a stunning and mesmerizing effect - this is the beauty of Gothic. Also, this cathedral has its own peculiarity, which later spread throughout the world - these are windows according to the scheme.They represent the life of the Mother of God. And the rosette windows depict Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Renaissance stained glass

A new wave in culture, including architecture, was provoked by such terrible events as the war and the plague epidemic. By the fifteenth century, people had stopped putting the church first and moved on to a secular lifestyle. This greatly influenced the further development of stained glass.

Features of Renaissance stained glass:

• there were many more advanced techniques for working with glass;
• there was a completely invention of the silver stain, which significantly increased the level of the paintings created;
• colors began to be applied directly to glass, which made it possible to obtain many unusual shades;
• images look more voluminous and vivid;
• France and Italy are the main centers for the production of stained glass;
• medallions, no more than thirty centimeters, came into fashion, they became symbols of this era.

Examples of Renaissance stained glass:

• the windows of the Florentine Cathedral, created by Italian craftsmen;
• the windows of the monastery in Königsfelden;
• stained glass windows in the Besserer chapel in Ulm Minster.

High Renaissance stained glass

Until the sixteenth century, masters made stained glass according to the classical scheme, until such masters as Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo appeared. It was they who had a great influence on world culture, including the history of the art of stained glass in Russia.

Features of High Renaissance stained glass:

• since most of the stained glass makers were Italians, they became the authors of new trends;
• the art of this era combined realism, elements of European decoration and bulky forms;
• a new technique has been developed to make it more transparent and clean;
• in addition to the silver one, they also invented the red etchant;
• masters began to give preference to the color scheme, rather than distorting the forms and sensuality of the image;
• the openings in the windows widened even more and reached gigantic proportions.

An example of High Renaissance stained glass:

• "The Tree of Jesse" in Beauvais;
• huge windows of the Brussels Cathedral;
• "The expulsion of Iliodorus from the temple" in the cathedral in Gouda.

The sixteenth century is considered to be the last in the heyday of stained glass in the Middle Ages. Further, the technology of making glass and drawing up pictures began to progress very quickly. The twentieth century had a great influence on the methods of stained glass design.

The history of the emergence of stained glass in Russia

Russian stained glass windows did not exist until the nineteenth century. Only wealthy people could enjoy the masterpieces brought from abroad. The thing is that domestic churches and cathedrals did not provide for stained glass windows, and culture as a whole did not need this kind of art. They appeared and immediately gained popularity thanks to the works of European masters.

Stained glass history in Russia:

• 17th century - first appearance of stained glass;
• XVIII century - stagnation in development due to unprofitability;
• the beginning of the 19th century - the gradual penetration of paintings made of colored glass into Russian culture;
• the middle of the 19th century - the active use of stained glass; the emperor and other wealthy people adopted European fashion and began to use them to decorate their estates; then stained-glass windows appeared in churches;
• the end of the 19th century - many art workshops were built, as well as painting classes and schools;
• the first half of the 20th century - stained glass art began to decline due to the extinction of modernity, and later due to the outbreak of World War II;
• the middle of the 20th century - the revival of stained glass windows by Soviet culture, unique works appeared that differed from previous paintings in their originality and ambiguity.

Famous Russian stained-glass windows:

• decoration with stained-glass windows of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky;
• chapel in Tsarskoe Selo;
• Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg;
• "Ascension of Christ" in St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Stained glass: history and modernity

Having examined in detail the historical side of the development of types of stained glass windows in different eras, I would like to turn to contemporary art. The stained glass windows of our time exist in order to give a room a style and a special chic. A variety of glass making techniques, the development of design and fashion have become key moments in the emergence of new types of this art.

Modern types of stained glass:

• Sandblasted stained-glass window is a composition of glasses made in sandblasting technique and related to one common theme. It is made on the whole surface, most often in one color.
• Mosaic stained-glass window - consists of particles of approximately the same size, resembling a mosaic. Can be background or main image.
• Stained-glass window is a drawing created from separate pieces of glass of the desired shape and color, usually without any additions.
• Fusing - the glasses from which the composition is assembled are sintered together in the intended position. This type also includes the fusion of individual foreign elements into the finished image.
• Filled stained-glass window - consists of glass with the contour of the conceived image applied to it. Each detail is filled with special paints or varnish.
• Etched stained glass - a set of glasses made using the etching technique and linked by a single meaning.
• Soldered stained glass - made of colored glass, fixed in a lead frame and sealed at the joints. The most ancient technique that has come down from the Middle Ages.
• Faceted stained-glass windows - when assembling them, glass is used from which the facet was previously removed. Another option is the use of ground and polished glass.
• Combined stained glass - compositions that simultaneously include several types of stained glass. This technique helps to achieve amazing results, to create truly original masterpieces.

Tiffany stained glass

Lewis Tiffany became the founder of his own style and technique for creating stained glass, which became popular around the world. He worked for a very long time on the selection of materials, and most importantly, on the methods of fixing the glass, since the medieval methods did not suit him at all. What happened as a result of these works completely overshadowed the rationed stained glass window. So how does this technique differ from others and why Tiffany stained glass windows are considered one of the most prestigious in history, let us consider in more detail.

Tiffany Style Features:

1. Colour. Brightness has always been a very important criterion for Lewis Tiffany when working with stained glass. He tried to achieve as much saturation and originality as possible in the colors used. Sometimes the master mixed tones, and sometimes he put one (or even several) glass on top of another.
2. Material. Quality is the essential distinguishing mark of these stained glass windows. Before the start of drawing up the stained-glass windows, the glass has always been rigorously tested, they must be free of the slightest defects and the same texture.
3. Realism. The master's works were so perfect, complex, full of details and colors that they were often compared to painting.
4. Technology. The glasses were connected to each other by means of a copper tape. Since it was wider than the glass itself, the tape was bent along the edge, at an angle of ninety degrees. Finished elements were connected with tin and patina was applied.
5. High price. Such works are very expensive and can only be found in private collections, English and American cathedrals and museums.

Shortly before Lewis's death (1933), his firm closed, but Tiffany's technique is still considered one of the best, and his works are masterpieces of art.

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A revolution in glassmaking technology was triggered at the turn of our era by the invention of the blowing method of hollow glass products. The possibility of widespread use of the new method was ensured by major advances in glass-making technology. Then they began to obtain transparent glass, smelt it at once in significant quantities, and learned how to blow beautiful vessels of a relatively large size and of the most varied shape. The blown tube, this simplest device, turned out to be a tool with the help of which a person with artistic flair and the gift of precise coordination of movements, as a result of prolonged exercises, achieved high perfection in work.

The discovery of the glass blowing method marked the beginning of the second great period in the development of glassmaking, which lasted until the late 19th - early 20th centuries. This period is characterized by the unity of technological methods that have not undergone fundamental changes over a long time. In accordance with the technology, the nature of the products remained more or less constant, encompassing all kinds of hollow items, mainly "table" scale vessels, as well as individual decorative items - cups, vases, glasses, dishes, toilet bottles, lighting fixtures.
These products, uniform in purpose, in terms of style, composition and performance, reflected the characteristic features of the development of art and folk art in individual countries in different eras.

The first masters of the method of blowing glass products were masters of Ancient Rome, where for several centuries the art of glassmaking was at a great height and where glass products were created that belong to the outstanding examples of world art. For example, the Portland Vase in the British Museum.


Roman glass. Portland vase.

* * *
In Roman times, glass was first used as a window material.

From an aesthetic point of view, the art of stained glass occupies a special place in terms of the power of impact on the viewer. The eye perceives frescoes, paintings and illustrations to manuscripts in light reflected from their surface. But stained glass works differently. Passing through colored glass, a ray of light, breaking into spectral shades, is painted in bright colors. The viewer can observe the rich colors created by the penetrating properties of glass alone. The glass blower opened a new era in glass production. The Romans inserted clear blown glass plates into the windows of the most luxurious buildings.
What we call stained-glass windows today appeared only in the era of Christianity. According to some literary sources, it can be assumed that the prototype of a stained-glass window in the era of early Christianity was a set of multi-colored pieces of glass of different sizes. Pieces of glass were reinforced with putty in the slots of wooden or stone boards inserted into the window openings. Thus, Bishop Fortunatus (6th century), in solemn verses, glorifies the persons who have decorated the basilicas with colored glass, and describes the effect of the first rays of dawn playing in the windows of the Paris Cathedral. In the 5th-6th centuries, prototypes of medieval stained-glass windows adorned the windows of temples in the cities of Gaul, then they appeared in Germany and England.
Stained glass was perceived as a mediator between the earthly and divine spheres. The magical play of spectral rays was easily interpreted as a metaphorical expression of divine power and love. Unfortunately, history has not preserved almost a single whole stained glass window created in the period of early Christianity (until the 11th century).

Romanesque period (XI-XII centuries)

Stained glass art underwent a great leap in the 11th century. The emergence of new cultural and theological circumstances led to the flourishing of architecture. Fundamental changes in the traditional appearance of sacred temples allowed stained glass to become an outstanding pictorial means.
Since that time, the artistic stained-glass window takes on its classic form - colored glass, fastened together with a metal profile. This was facilitated by the emergence of a method for making thin sheet glass, the use of a lead profile, as well as the division into glass manufacturers and stained glass masters.
The process began with the layout of the glass melting batch. Potash from burnt beech wood, as well as lime, were added to fine river sand to lower the melting point of silicon oxide.
The evolution of medieval stained glass was mainly associated with cathedrals, which in the twelfth century were the centers of everyday social life. This time saw the second boom in the construction of Romanesque cathedrals. The canons of architecture changed, and at the same time, the manner of execution of stained-glass windows also changed. On the one hand, the depicted figures become more lively and mobile, on the other, the overall composition is characterized by static and symmetry. The typical ensemble consists of three windows symbolizing the Holy Trinity. Earlier windows of this style are much more primitive. The windows use stylized floral decorations and decorative ornamentation around scenes and drawings.
The traditional technology of making stained glass took shape finally in the 11th century, the stained glass technique was enriched with an important innovation - the wooden frames in which the glasses were mounted were replaced with lead fittings, which allowed a greater variety of contours and sizes of the pattern. This innovation appeared in the Montecassino monastery in 1071.

In a treatise on the arts, written in 1100 by the German monk Theophilus, for the first time, the subtleties of making stained glass windows are outlined, consisting of two parts of beech ash and one part of well-washed sand. Small pieces of glass obtained by this method had a thickness of half a centimeter, diamond was not yet known at that time, and an iron blade that was red-hot to red was used to cut the glass. The primary colors were blue (cobalt) and red (copper based). However, there were other colors: green based on copper oxides, purple (from manganese), yellow (from a mixture of iron and manganese).

Among the works of the 12th century, it is worth mentioning the outstanding stained glass windows of the monastery church in Saint-Denis (1144), and in particular the stained glass window, which depicts the major political and cultural figure of the 12th century France, Abbot Suger, and another stained glass window, the Tree of Jesse.


The tree of Jesse. Stained glass window from the church in Saint-Denis. 12th century.

The Saint-Denis windows were an exceptional innovation. The panel included the biographies of the saints, Mary and Christ, their genealogies and, possibly, the first crusade. The window area is filled with a row of vertically arranged stained glass medallions. Sugeri's invention of window medallions had a profound influence on the plots of stained glass art. Windows become the equivalent of handwritten texts describing the life of Christian saints. The windows of Saint Denis were badly damaged during the French Revolution.


Stained glass windows from the Church of Saint Denis.

However, the most remarkable complex of stained glass windows is preserved in Chartres.


Stained glass window from Canterbury Cathedral.

In England, stained glass was made before the Reformation; However, here, as elsewhere, people turned out to be the worst enemies of stained-glass windows: they always forgot that the beautiful painting on glass was created for them to instruct, and also to delight their eyes with the bizarre play of light pouring through the multicolored glass of tall windows.

Romanesque stained glass:


Baptism of Clovis. Romanesque stained glass window.

In religious ceremonies, light has always played a special role, it was a symbol of creation and divine mercy. At the very beginning of the Old Testament it is written: “And God said: Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw that he was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. " The earthly embodiment of divine light was the stained glass windows of Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals - real works of art of the Middle Ages. A clear confirmation of this is the stained glass windows of the ancient cathedral in Chartres and the Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the XII-XIV centuries.

The peculiarity of the stained-glass windows was that they are almost invisible from the outside, colorless, merge with the walls, only the outlines of the mountings are visible. All the beauty of the artistic image can be appreciated inside the cathedral. In good weather, bright sunlight penetrating through the stained-glass windows transforms them, they begin to glow.

Initially, the main colors of stained glass windows were usually red and blue. Later they learned to add metal oxides to the molten glass mass and got green, yellow and brown glasses. Sometimes they were made embossed, convex, which enhanced the refraction of light, its "play". The skill of the artist can be judged by the selection of multi-colored glasses that create amazing ornaments or paintings on religious themes.

The stained glass window, erected on the portal of Notre Dame Cathedral in front of the entrance, is circular, it is made in the form of a so-called rosette. From the outside, it seems dark and inexpressive, moreover, it is "obscured" by the sculptures of the Madonna and Child in her arms and two angels.

The stained glass windows on the north side of the cathedral, created in the 1250s, depict scenes from the Gospel, in the center of which is also the Madonna and Child. The stained glass windows on the south side show the image of Christ surrounded by the apostles and martyrs. From the inside, these rosettes seem to be shining bright stars against the dark background of the walls of the cathedral ...

The history of stained glass is rooted in Ancient Egypt. When excavating temples, archaeologists often found colored glass, which architects and builders of the past used in the second millennium BC. Then colored glass appeared in the windows of the early Christian basilicas of Rome, Ravenna. The red and blue color of the glasses made it possible to reduce the intensity of the sun's rays. Colored glasses created a special mysterious atmosphere of initiation to the highest divine powers inside the temple.

Stained glass windows on gospel themes appeared in early Christian Romanesque churches in France in the X-XII centuries. Colored glasses were carefully cut out, an image was drawn from them on a plane, then all the glasses were fastened with special lead strips with recesses. The higher the ceilings of the temples rose, the higher the stained-glass windows were made, the more festive and elegant it became inside the temple.

The stained-glass windows gave the impression of some kind of unearthly blessing on believers. They fascinated, became another attribute of holiness and faith. They were viewed as paintings by artists.

One of the few Gothic cathedrals in France, in which stained glass windows from the XII-XIII centuries have survived almost unchanged, is Chartres, the construction of which began in the middle of the X century. In total, 146 stained-glass windows are installed in its tall lancet windows. They depict about 1400 plots on various topics from the history of Christianity. Along with scenes from the Old and New Testaments, about 100 scenes from the lives of kings, knights, artisans, all noble persons who donated funds for the maintenance of the cathedral are captured. These colored glass art "canvases" cover an area of ​​about 2,600 square meters. Since the Middle Ages, they have come down to our time almost intact.

But during the Reformation, stained glass art experienced a decline, moreover, religious figures appeared who argued that stained glass distorted the daylight of God and they needed to be replaced.

In the era of the Baroque and the Enlightenment, stained-glass windows were of no interest to anyone, the old ones were not restored, the new ones were not created. Some of the stained glass was broken and replaced with plain glass. This barbaric attitude lasted almost until the 19th century, when interest in this art revived again. True, the newly-minted masters began to replace the old "outdated" stained glass paintings with new ones. Thus, hundreds, if not thousands of old stained-glass windows in churches in France and Germany were ruined. Many original glasses have become the prey of collectors.

The modern method of making stained-glass windows has hardly changed since those ancient times. Colored glasses are also selected, from which either a bright mosaic or a picture image is made. Glass cutting technique allows you to create not only bright, but also halftone colors. Lead wire or plastic is still used to fix the glass. But there are also some innovations. A pattern is often applied to transparent glass by engraving or etching with hydrofluoric acid. Thus, new textured possibilities of glass are manifested.

FLOWER IN THE ERA OF THE MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE (XII -XVI CENTURIES)

The flowering of stained glass art began in the 12th century. The treatise of the monk Theophilus dates back to this time, in which he describes in detail the process of creating a stained glass window. At first, the glass was cooked in special ovens, dyeing the glass mass in a certain color during the melting process. Then, a flat glass sheet was made. The finished glasses were cut with a red-hot iron rod into figured plates in accordance with the prepared drawing and laid out on a wooden board with a sketch of the future work. Then the glasses were painted with paints in several steps and sequentially fired in a furnace. The finished parts of the stained-glass window were fastened together with a lead wire, the ends of which were soldered to each other, and enclosed in a wooden and later metal window frame. The result was a stained-glass window, in which a mosaic set of figured glasses was combined with painting the details with paints. Later, such stained glass windows were called combined.
The method of making stained-glass windows described by Theophilus differs little from the modern one. The stages of the work performed remained the same, the tools changed and became more perfect. So, instead of a red-hot iron rod, modern craftsmen use special glass cutters, a wooden board with a pattern was replaced by paper patterns.

In Europe, flat glass was produced in a hollow way. The glass plates had an uneven thickness and a bumpy, rough surface. Glass defects: air bubbles visible inside it, grains of undissolved sand - caused by the imperfection of the then glass melting technology, give the stained glass windows of the early Middle Ages a special effect. These "inaccuracies" unpredictably refract and scatter the incident light, enhancing the "sound" of the color and giving the stained glass the appearance of a sparkling jewel. Skillful craftsmen skillfully used irregular glasses to obtain an amazing play of light and color.

During the early Middle Ages, stained-glass windows were collected from glass of pure saturated colors: the most common were blue, yellow, red, green, purple, white, as well as their shades. However, this color palette did not limit the possibilities of the stained glass master. To obtain a variety of tones, laminated glass was used: glass of a different color was applied to a plate of glass of one color, individual sections of the superimposed layer were ground until the color of the lower glass appeared under it. To achieve the necessary coloristic effects, the craftsmen applied several multi-colored layers on top of each other. Thus, in the stained-glass windows of Chartres Cathedral, areas were found consisting of 27 (!) Alternating red and colorless layers of glass. Light, passing through such a layered thickness, acquires a unique color, plays with the finest nuances of shades. No wonder the windows of Gothic cathedrals were compared by contemporaries to jewelry. "Pure gold, an abundance of hyacinths, emeralds and precious stones," so described the stained glass windows in the cathedral of the Monastery of Saint-Denis in Paris. For a long time they became the ideal of beauty for contemporaries and an unsurpassed example of perfection for posterity. The construction of the Church of Saint-Denis (completed in 1144) - the first precedent of architectural Gothic - was a reflection of the philosophical views of the abbot of the monastery - Abbot Suggeriya. He connected the mystical interpretation of light that came to the Middle Ages West in the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite with the practical problems of temple construction. The abbot wished to make the walls of the monastery church translucent, replacing them with huge windows with colored stained-glass windows. The rays of light penetrated in a wide stream and this invasion was given the character of a dazzling triumph. Suggeri paid primary attention to the lighting of the church and images on the windows, since the contemplation of stained-glass windows was for him one of the spiritual paths from "material to immaterial, from bodily to spiritual, from human to divine." During the last third of the twelfth century, the initiative undertaken at the Monastery of Saint-Denis was developed by the construction of many temples, both in France and in other countries.

In the writings of medieval theologians, the architecture of the temple - the embodiment of the city of God on earth - received a symbolic meaning. Each element of the building was endowed with a certain meaning: the side walls were interpreted as the image of the Old and New Testaments, pillars and columns carrying the vault like apostles and prophets, and the portals as the threshold of paradise. To this were added bright and figurative symbolic interpretations of the stained-glass windows in the windows. The light of the stained-glass windows was identified with the light of Christian knowledge: “Clear windows, protecting and bringing light from bad weather, are the Fathers of the Church, opposing the light of Christian doctrine to the storm and downpour of heresy. Window glass, transmitting rays of light, is the spirit of the church fathers, divine things in the darkness, as if contemplating in a mirror. " The art of stained glass developed along with the stylistic evolution of medieval religious architecture, and passed all stages from Romanesque architecture to "flaming" Gothic. During this period, the most significant monuments of stained glass art were created in France, Germany, England. As if painted on the windows with colored light, they still amaze people. As a rule, the stained glass windows of Gothic cathedrals consisted of many small independent compositions, each of which was enclosed in a separate cell of the binding of the window frame. The theme of one window, as a rule, was the same, but it was revealed through many plots-brands. This was also due to technical difficulties: the flat glass produced before the XIV was small in size, and the multi-piece structure of the window sash provided it with additional rigidity.

By the XIV century, significant changes took place in the development of glassmaking: they learned to make better quality colorless glass, its plates became larger, which increased the field for painting. The curvature of the glass has become larger, as a result, many parts of the images have been "freed" from the lead soldering that connects the pieces of glass to each other. The range of paints for painting on glass has significantly expanded. The so-called "silver gold" (Silbergelb) was discovered - a method of staining glass with silver oxides, as a result of which it acquired a yellow-golden color. He subjected to coloring not only colorless, but also colored glass mass, as a result of which he obtained colors and shades inaccessible before. Engraving became popular - with a special wheel, patterns were carved on the surface of the glass, which looked especially impressive on laminated glass. All these improvements led to the fact that in the 15th century preference was given not to colored glasses of bright and saturated colors, but to colorless ones covered with polychrome painting. In stained-glass windows they began to actively use the techniques of ordinary painting, the contour line gradually lost its strength and expressiveness, acquired softness, passing into the category of "pictorial" means. The masters of the coming Renaissance rendered magnificent paintings on glass, skillfully solving problems of perspective, volumetric forms and realism of the image. At the same time, multi-colored windows became the property not only of churches, but also of secular buildings - town halls and palaces of the nobility. Until the 16th century. in residential buildings, the use of glass was very rare due to its high cost and inaccessibility. The situation changed only after the spread of the lunar method in the manufacture of flat glass in the 16th century. Stained glass art developed at this time not only in France and Germany, but also in England, Spain, Italy, Flanders, Switzerland. In Switzerland from the end of the 15th century. the fashion is spreading to small panels hanging in front of the window. These are the so-called cabinet stained-glass windows. As a rule, coats of arms or events from the life of the customer were depicted on them. They also spread in Germany, the Netherlands and England.