Stained Glass Vision
Hi and welcome to the latest issue or Stained Glass Vision, for all the news, comments and fun about stained glass from Classical Glass Ltd. Take a few moments to look through these interesting, educational and amusing articles written by the Classical Glass Team.
In This Issue......Simply scroll down to read each article.
Stained Glass Heroes : Lusis Comfort Tiffany by Andrew Seddon, Director of Classical Glass
A Visit to The Howarth Art Gallery in Accrington, Lancashire
by Andrew Seddon, Classical Glass Artist and Director
I visited the Howarth Art Gallery in Accrington a few years ago with my wife before we had our 5 children. After having our children our visits to museums became very infrequent and when we did go we spent most of the time stopping our children from breaking the exhibits. More recently I have driven passed it many times to and from St Anne’s Church in Accrington during the restoration of the stained glass at the church.
The Gallery is not very big or well known but houses the largest collection of Tiffany glass in Europe and one of the largest outside of the USA. I went to the museum expecting to see examples of Tiffany stained glass and in that respect was disappointed as there are no stained glass windows on display. However there are many other priceless examples of Tiffany’s glass making and artistic expertise. I was completely amazed by the mosaic panels on display. There was one panel depicting two Cockatooss that absolutely blew me away. The tiny pieces of coloured and iridescent glass were finely shaped to fit together without a gap and the design was a beautiful composition of the birds entwined amongst a lattice of coloured foliage.
It was the combination of exquisite design and perfect execution that really struck me. The birds seamed to standout from the background in a brilliant optical illusion showing a true understanding of colour and design by a master glass maker.
The thing I find most impressive about Tiffany is that he researched and reinvented lost techniques for glass making from pieces of antique and ancient examples of glass antiquity. Tiffany was responsible for the resurgence in interest in glass in the Art Nouveau period with his lamps, vases and windows now synonymous with quality and beauty.
DESCRIPTION OF TIFFANY WINDOW IN ST. ANDREW’S KIMBOLTON
By Richard Merriman, Head Teacher of Birchfield Independent School, Albrighton
For eight years I had the great pleasure of residing in Kimbolton, whilst being Director of Sport at Kimbolton School. Together with 
my wife we regularly attended services at St. Andrew’s Kimbolton and indeed were married there in 1991. The oldest portions of the present church date from the 13th century; although a church, probably wooden, was known to have existed prior to the Norman Conquest. In the late 15th century the South Aisle was rebuilt and the South Porch and chapel added in the Perpendicular Gothic style. It is within this south chapel in 1901 that Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the founder of Tiffany’s Jewellers in New York, placed, at the behest of the widow of the 8th Duke of Manchester the most beautiful and ethereal of stained glass windows. The window depicts Alice and Jaqueline, daughters of Consuelo Yznaga, the widow of the 8th Duke and of American Cuban descent. The Duke had died in August 1892.
Standing close to the window the glass appears extraordinarily wafer thin in places, in others it folds to great thickness; tangible and strong. Typical Tiffanyesque colours reveal Jesus laying his hands upon the heads of the kneeling twin girls. Two guardian angels and an array of young children gaze upon the scene from right and left. The colours and the craftsmanship appear to be of the highest order.
It is as one steps back into the chancel, particularly on a bright sunny summers day that the window truly comes alive, almost literally. The sun’s rays permit the craftsmanship and colour to radiate through the different thicknesses; the window is lifted to almost hologram status. Ethereal, beautiful, gentle, loving, spellbinding; it evokes every spiritual thought possible. It tells a story, a deeply evocative story; much unrecorded. The girls are depicted of the same age, save that Jaqueline Mary Alva died March 1895 and Alice Eleanor Louise five years later in January 1900. The window is the representation of a grieving mother’s love for her beautiful twin girls, cruelly taken from her so young.
May 2009
Kidz Zone : Stained Glass Overlay
This is a really easy yet very effective way to make a sun-catcher and add a little colour to your windows.
This project suits all ages, young and old. It makes a great school project.
All you will need is :
Coloured window film
4mm wide Strip lead
scissors
design sheet printout below
a 7" square of clear perspex or polycarbonate plastic or acitate
For the coloured film and lead contact Magden Ltd in Whitefield Manchester.
First copy and paste the printout below onto your picture or document software and printout on A4 paper as big as possible.
Next the tricky bit, you have to think of a design that says something about you.
I have choosen to do a design of my family cat Molly. This coloured design is the Cartoon which is the name of a stained glass design. I have drawn the large eyes, mouth and whiskers. I have given Molly 5 whiskers to remind me of my 5 children.
I have coloured the design with bright colours.
The next stage is to trace the Cartoon design onto the Cutline drawing.
Okay?, so now you are ready to cut the coloured film shapes by cutting the shapes from the paper pattern and drawing around each shape on the coloured film. Each shape is cut from the coloured film then stuck onto the plastic sheet.
When all the coloured shapes are stuch on the last stage is to go around each shape with 4mm wide stick on strip lead.
Now stand back and admire your creation!
Do you know any great craft ways to make stained glass effect window hangings?
Email me with your ideas and I will share them with everyone in future issues of Stained Glass Vision.
Email me : Andrew@classicalglass.co.uk
