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How long does it take to make a stained glass window in the Middle Ages?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
This is a complicated question, actually. The time it took to make a window could depend on its size, complexity and detail. This would affect how long it took to plan out the piece, cut the glass, stain and paint detail, and assemble and finish the final product. Even mounting the window could take time extra time, depending on whether it was going into a ground-level window or a window several stories high in a cathedral wall.
The most time-consuming part of making stained glass windows in the middle ages was probably the step for painting and staining each piece of glass. If you compare the old stained glass windows to the windows made today, you'll notice much more fine painting on the glass - facial features, folds in robes, symbols, hands, etc.
You can't color (or "stain") glass like you'd paint a picture on paper. For example, whenever you see a beige, yellow or gold color in Medieval stained glass, you can be sure that color was produced by painting the glass with a silver-containing chemical, then firing the glass in an oven. The more times a piece was repeatedly painted and fired, the deeper this golden color would be in the final piece. Likewise, the black lines used in details on faces, etc, had to be fired too, just like the glaze is fired on pottery.
After the pieces were ready, they were assembled between strips of lead containing grooves on each side to hold the edges of glass. The area in the groove around the edge of the glass was then packed with a putty - usually a mixture of linseed oil and lead oxide, to give the window room to stretch and move as the glass and lead got hot and cold over the years. The lead strips also had to be stained with patina - a chemical that turns it a black color. Finally, the assembled piece would often be large enough to require reinforcing bars added behind the window at intervals.
Since so many variables go into making a fine stained glass window, it's hard to estimate the time exactly. Still, the average single panel in an old cathedral would have taken well over 100 hours of labor, split up between however many people were working on it.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What was the purpose of stained glass windows in the middle ages?
Religion played a huge role in life in the Middle Ages, and they were beautiful and honored God. Also stained glass windows usually showed scenes from Bible stories etc.This was important as most people couldnt read but could understand the pictographic representations of the Bible stories & passages.
Did they have glass in Medieval Times?
They had glass in ancient times, and continued to make it in the Middle Ages. In fact, there was a glass makers guild in Italy that may have predated the Middle Ages. They used glass to make stained glass windows in churches. They also invented spectacles during the Middle Ages, and there are medieval pictures of people using them for reading.
How was the Architecture in Late Middle Ages in Spain?
Spanish medieval architecture was Gothic, with high arches and a lot of stained glass in the churches, and a feel of airiness. This was true through the entire late Middle Ages, though the period can be broken down into several distinct Spanish styles. I have added a link below.
What is the purpose of art during the middle ages?
religion.
What was a explorers in a Middle Ages?
There was no explorers in the middle ages. When exploration started that is when the middle ages ended.
Was stained glass invented before or after the middle ages?
stained glass was first developed?
Is a stained glass window polarized?
No. This is especially true in the middle ages since the invention of polarization is new. As far as new stain glass I doubt that it is.
What color were late middle ages stained glass?
green
What are Massive stone churches from the Middle Ages with stained glass windows called?
Massive stone churches from the Middle Ages, with stained windows, were called catherdrals.
How long has stained glass been around?
Stained Glass Has been around since the early middle ages.
What was the purpose of stained glass windows in the middle ages?
Religion played a huge role in life in the Middle Ages, and they were beautiful and honored God. Also stained glass windows usually showed scenes from Bible stories etc.This was important as most people couldnt read but could understand the pictographic representations of the Bible stories & passages.
What are the names of people who painted stained glass?
A person working in glass in the middle ages was called a glazier. They didn't "paint" stain glass. Stain glass is a colored glass that is cut to fit a pattern.
Why was stained glass important to religion?
Stained glass was incorporated in much of the architecture of churches during the Middle Ages, when they would depict well-known Bible stories. It became a trademark, in a sense, so much so that when someone sees stained glass, they would most likely think immediately of a church.
Who invented stain glass windows?
We do not know who invented stained glass, but it was probably invented in western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. Colored glass had been used earlier for various purposes, and colored designs made of substances other than glass had been used in window areas, but we have no record or evidence of stained glass windows. The earliest known reference to stained glass dates from 675 AD, at which time workers from France are recorded to have been brought to the monastery of St Peter at Monkwearmouth to glaze the windows. There is a link below.
Did they have glass in Medieval Times?
They had glass in ancient times, and continued to make it in the Middle Ages. In fact, there was a glass makers guild in Italy that may have predated the Middle Ages. They used glass to make stained glass windows in churches. They also invented spectacles during the Middle Ages, and there are medieval pictures of people using them for reading.
What did stained glassmakers in the middle ages wear?
they wore sumtin
What were stained glass windows?
They are typically found in old English churches x
