There are few things as beautiful and striking at looking up at a stained glass window with the sun light shining through and illuminating the vibrant and jewel tone colors of the individual pieces of glass that make up the window. During the 12th and 13th centuries, there was an explosion in the number of stained glass windows created for churches through out Europe and Britain. Of both Romanesque and Gothic design, the proliferation of stained glass was a result of a variety of causes. The evolution of of the technical techniques needed to create stained glass windows, architectural advancements and religious needs and desires all contributed to the growth of stained glass during the 1100s and 1200s. Stained glass is glass that is colored or stained by metallic oxides or glass that have been painted on and then fused in a kiln. To produce a stained glass window, the artisan would first draw a life sized sketch or cartoon of the window. The glass itself was made by combining sand and potash at temperatures around 3000 degrees. While the glass was still molten, it was colored by adding small amounts of metallic oxide powders. Copper oxides produced green or blue-green shades, cobalt would create a deep, rich blue and gold was used to produce a red-wine or violet colored glass. The colored molten glass would then be blown and flattened into sheets. After the glass had cooled, the artisan would place the pieces on the cartoon of the window and crack the glass into roughly
• in addition to stained glass, medieval artisans produced wonderful textiles as well as works in stone, metal, and wood
The cathedral has a ninety-two-foot-long nave and short transepts to the south and north. The east end is round. Since this building was made very tall in order to been seen from miles away, they use flying buttresses and ribbed vaults to help support the buildings walls. This skeletal system of supported allowed for large spaces of the cathedral to be free to put in stained-glass work. This stained-glass work is also said to be one of the most complete collections of medieval stained glass in the world. The cathedral has three large rose windows and the doors and porches have medieval carvings of statues. The statues were based on figures from the Old Testament, but some also regarded images of current kings and queens. Having their statues
As soon as I gazed upon the church I noticed it had a very decorative Romanesque feel to it. The main facade of the church was decorated with a lot of pilasters around the windows, roof, portals, and above the central portal where the tympanum lies. This church has a very well done tympanum that depicts a priest standing in the middle of a farm with hills and trees around the edges, there is also a farmer in the background with the sun setting. Unlike a Gothic church, this church has very rounded arches above every portal and is very rounded all throughout except for the pointed roof. Left of the main facade is a big clock tower which looks to be a couple meters taller than the main facade. Four clocks lie at the very top of each side of the
Otto von Simson, The Gothic cathedral: origins of Gothic architecture and the medieval concept of order (New York: Pantheon Books, 1956), 21-39.
The Romanesque and Gothic architecture period both occurred during the Middle Ages with the Gothic period taking place during the later half. Gothic and Romanesque architecture were related in many ways, but they also contrasted in style too. Over time, masons began to test the waters and push the limits. They thought of new ways to add lighting and ways to allow more height to the building without it being to heavy and weak. Many of the reasons for the change in styles had a lot to do with society and the changes it faced. There was a greater intensity occurring in piety and literature. The Gothic style embodied this new urban society. Romanesque and Gothic shared similar characteristics, but Gothic architecture was a greater departure
The process of glassblowing can be a long but rewarding process. Many different things can be made ranging from a simple Christmas ornament, to a work of art. Glassblowers use many different techniques and tools to aid them in their jobs. Glassblowing is not an easy job, it requires knowledge in what you’re doing and the skill to not harm yourself or others.
Gothic was first used as a term of contempt during the late renaissance. The Goth's were barbarians- which leads to many theories as to why "Goth" was the chosen title for a style that required extreme engineering as well as technical and artistic know how. Since then vast efforts have been made to rename the style with a term that better encompasses the idea of gothic style.
Stained glass has played a major role in reflecting Christianity’s beliefs because of the multitude of uses it has in a church. Stained glass windows are used in Christianity to represent and provide a visual picture for the Bible and the lives of Saints. The windows also serve the church by letting light from outside in. According to members of the Gothic church, when the light enters through the stained glass it becomes divine light and is the light of God. The divine light in the church symbolized the spirit of God. Because stories were depicted
The perceived English gothic periods were slightly different from those of France. The Early English gothic (approximately from 1175 to 1265) corresponded to the High gothic period in France. By 1300 the gothic style had become fully assimilated into Britain. “The next phase of development is known as ‘Decorated’” (Pragnell 2007 pg. 48) where there was much more ornamentation. The Decorative English period (1250 to 1370) used vaulting with elaborate extra ribs called tiercerons and liernes and window tracery that worked in tre-foil and quatre-foil (three-leaf and four-leaf) and flowing curved and intersecting shapes.
Because of their importance, cathedrals were run by bishops, and not local parish priests. Cathedrals were filled with art, because many people were illiterate. Art told stories of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Stained glass, made by glaziers, filled windows. Often, they were arranged in a pattern that told a story.
When Abbot Suger created the Gothic style he had in mind to create a church to pay respects to God by illuminating light with stained glass.
This remarkable improvement in methods indicates the fresh importation of skills from the East and this applies not merely to England but to all Western Europe at that time (“The Flowering” 88). Into three main phases the development of architecture through the period may be divided. The elements of Gothic style and their gradual elaboration over a period of rather more than a century came first at the opening of the 12th century. After the year 1000 there was a fully coordinated Gothic art particularly marked by the invention of windows with baltracy, Jean d’ Orbais probably used it first at Rheims cathedral during the generation following 1211, why the east end was begun. A century followed with classic poise in which an international architecture reached its peak and produce perfect forms of castle and palace, cathedrals enriched with painting patterned tiles, figure sculpture and stained glass (“The Flowering” 92).
Known for its pointed arches, flying buttresses, and detailed tracery, Gothic architecture emerged in 12th-century northern France, and the style continued into the 16th century . Gothic architecture was called, Opus Francigenum ("French work"), during the time. The term Gothic, first appearing during the late part of the Renaissance period. Gothic Architecture is wonderful on its own, how detailed, and ornate a concrete building can be finished with colorful stained-glass windows. The famous architects helped to create these building masterpieces of the century, and that became popular in other countries around the world, and still today. One of the towering achievements in the world architecture, the unique product of an era of peace, and widespread economic prosperity, deep spiritually, and extraordinary technological innovations.
One of the most used materials in human history is glass or more specifically silicate glass. Although some types of glasses are called crystal glass, glass is actually an amorphous solid and does not have a crystal structure. It is used in all walks of life ranging from homes to automobiles to laboratories. Historically, the one of the first types of glass that was used by humans to make tools and weapons was the volcanic glass known as obsidian. As for manmade glass, the earliest accounts date back to 5000 BC in the middle east. Primitive methods of glass making were used until about 100BC, when glassblowing was believed to be discovered. This discovery made glass products popular in the Roman Empire since the development of glassblowing allowed glass production to be more efficient and thus less expensive. As the centuries went on more techniques were developed which eventually lead to glass products being widespread. This paper will discuss some of the methods of glass production throughout history, the types of silicate glass, and the different ways that glass can be colored.
Over three decades after the beginning of construction at Burgos, the second phase of the integration of French Gothic Style began with León Cathedral in 1255. At this point in time, the kingdoms of Castile and León were combined into a single kingdom of Castile. This could explain the facilitation of the transfer of the style westward from Burgos to León. León should be viewed as a separate step in the development of Spanish Gothic because it is radically different from Burgos. While Burgos began to incorporate the style and features of Gothic architecture, it still maintains the decorative style popular in the region. León Cathedral is a complete embrace of the French Gothic style and is considered to be the “purest” example in Spain. George Edmund Street, an English architect traveled through out Spain in the early 1900 to study and describe the Gothic architecture of the region. Of León Cathedral he said, “Regarding this cathedral, then, as a French, rather than as a Spanish church, and giving up all attempt to make it illustrate a chapter of the real national artistic history, we shall best be able to do justice to it as a work of art.” The extreme “Frenchness” has is baffling. There is little surviving evidence to explain this phenomenon, other than records of a French architect, Master Enrique, working at the cathedral at one point. Whatever the cause, the pure French Style demonstrated at León Cathedral was an important step in the development the Spanish Style