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Romanesque And Gothic Design Of Stained Glass

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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

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