Stained Glass Glossary
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For more in depth information please refer to our Bibliography page
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| ABRADE | to scrape or grind away flashing to expose the base glass |
| ANGELS | see NINE ORDERS OF ANGELS |
| ARTS AND CRAFT MOVEMENT | A movement of the late 19th century that attempted to replace the growing mass production of artefacts with the tradtional skills of the craftsman, based on perceived mediaeval standards and practices. The principal name associated with it is William Morris, who set up a company in 1861 which undertook all kinds of decoration. The main legacy of the movement was the appreciation of vernacular buildings. |
| BADGER | a broad brush (traditionally made of badger hair) used to spread glass paint evenly |
| BOTTLE or CROWN GLASS | made by spinning molten glass attached to an iron so that it is spread by centrifugal force into a sheet which is thickest in the centre where the iron was attached. The resulting thick knob of glass is known as a bull's eye |
| BULL’S EYE | The thick knob of glass produced where the iron was attached to the molten glass, when making crown or bottle glass |
| CALMES or CAMES | (from Latin calamus, reed): cast strips of lead used to assembly a panel of glass. Calmes are H-shaped in section and in the medieval period they were cut and shaved to the desired width and length; in later times they were milled. The central part is called the heart or core, and the part that covers the glass is called the leaf or the flange. Individual calmes were soldered to each other where strips met. |
| CANOPY | a projecting hood over a statue, niche, stall. etc, with architectural decoration, and indicates honour is being paid to the statue or person beneath it. It may be supported by columns, or project from the wall. A two-dimenensional version is used in windows. |
| CARTOON | a full-size design for a window or panel. |
| CROWN or BOTTLE GLASS | made by spinning molten glass attached to an iron so that it is spread by centrifugal force into a sheet which is thickest in the centre where the iron was attached. The resulting thick knob of glass is known as a bull's eye |
| CINQUEFOIL | A five lobed shape |
| CUSP | pointed projections in window tracery or in arches |
| DECORATED | When capitalised, Decorated refers to a style of architecture dating from the late 13th to the mid 14th Century, characterised by elaborate window tracery and tall columns. Represents the middle of the Gothic period |
| DONOR WINDOW | a window in which figures representing the donor(s) are included as part of the design. |
| EARLY ENGLISH | An architectural style dating from the late 12th to the late 13th century, characterised by the earliest use of pointed arches and representing the beginning of the Gothic period |
| ENAMELS | colours consisting of a metallic oxide colouring agent and a flux of molten glass, which can be fired on to the inner surface of white glass enabling multi-coloured painterly effects to be achieved. |
| EVANGELISTS | the four Gospel writers St Matthew, St Mark, St Luke and St John |
| FIGURE AND CANOPY WINDOWS | a typical window of the decorated period, in which a standing figure was placed under a detailed architectural canopy resembling those in stone sculpture, tombs and brasses |
| FLASHING | application of a thin coat of coloured glass on a base glass. Flashed ruby is most commonly found. |
| GLASS PAINT | a mixture of finely ground glass, iron or copper oxide, and a flux, applied to the glass and fired which produces a brownish black vitreous paint. |
| GOTHIC | Art, architecture or decoration styles dating from after the Norman period but before the renaissance. |
| GOTHIC REVIVAL | A 19th-century revival version of the Medieval Gothic style, sometimes called Victorian Gothic. Dates from approx 1840 to WWI |
| GRISAILLE | delicate geometric or leaf patterns of regular design painted on or leaded into white glass (usually with little or no pot metal). |
| GROZING | the method of shaping glass by means of a metal tool with a hooked end which makes a characteristic ‘bitten’ edge. |
| GROZING IRON | the metal tool used for grozing |
| HIGH VICTORIAN | the Gothic revival style in use in the 1850s and 1860s, and which is principally characterized by polychrome buildings, which took their inspiration from the ideals of John Ruskin. |
| LIGHT | A vertical division of a window |
| JEAN COUSIN | a reddish colour paint used from the early sixteenth century to produce flesh tints and other details |
| MEDALLION | circular panel of several pieces of glass leaded together. |
| MUFF | a cylinder of blown glass, cut along its length when hot and flattened into plate glass. |
| MULLION | The upright in a window; divides the window into a number of lights. |
| MURREY | a colour ranging from purple to pink and reddish brown. |
| NEEDLEWORK | fine relieving done with a needle or sharp instrument, scratching out. |
| NINE ORDERS OF ANGELS | A common subject in medieval glass particularly depicted in traceries. Angels were categorised into three groups: the first consisted of Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones, all supporting and worshipping God’s throne. The second were the Governors of the Universe – Dominations(more usually Dominions), Virtues and Powers. The third group were Principalities, Archangels and Angels – the Messengers of God’s Will. They were frequently shown with musical instruments and feathered garments. |
| NORMAN or ROMANESQUE | The architecture of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman styles, c600-c1100. |
| OVAL | a unipartite panel of oval shape. Such a panel is sometimes described as a roundel . |
| PERPENDICULAR | An architectural style dating from the mid 14th to the late 16th century, characterised by mullions reaching to the top of windows, and by the development of fan vaulting. Represents the last part of the Gothic period. |
| POT METAL | glass coloured throughout when molten with one or more metallic oxides. |
| PRE - RAPAHAELITE BROTHERHOOD (PRB) | founded by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in 1848. They attempted to return painting to the styles in use before Raphael (1483-1520) and his contemporaries. Other artists were later associated with the PRB. Their art is characterized by brilliant colours, and very detailed depictions They also wanted to restore religious art by creating a new iconography, and by painting subjects with a religious or high moral content. By 1853 it had effectively died as a serious movement, as pictures after that date tended to show the anecdotal subjects rejected by the original PRB. The style of painting, however, continued for some years. |
| QUARRY | (from French carré, square): a small pane of glass, usually diamond-shaped. Imitation quarries are glass panels that have lead lines painted on them to simulate the appearance of quarries. |
| RECTANGLE | a unipartite panel of rectangular shape. Such a panel is sometimes described as a roundel |
| RELIEVING | the removal of paint from the surface of the glass prior to firing, to allow light to come through; methods include needlework and stickwork . |
| REVERSED | set inside out. |
| RINCEAU | a foliage design usually used as a background. |
| ROMANESQUE or NORMAN | The architecture of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman styles, c600-c1100. |
| ROUNDEL | unipartite panel, generally round, bearing a self-contained design. |
| RUBY | red glass, normally made by flashing red glass onto a base glass. |
| SANGUINE | an iron-based glass paint that turns pink to red-brown on firing |
| SILVER STAIN or YELLOW STAIN | a stain produced by applying a silver-compound solution to the surface of the glass. When fired, the stain turns yellow, which can range in hue from pale lemon to orange. It is nearly always found on the exterior face of the glass. |
| STAINED GLASS | the term commonly but misleadingly used to denote a medium that comprises pieces of glass painted with glass paint and set within lead cames in a mosaic technique. Colour was inherent in the pieces of glass for most of the middle ages. Glass paint was in shades of brown or black, and silver stain was developed and used extensively for glass painting from the early fourteenth century. Sanguine and a range of enamel colours that could be painted onto the glass were developed in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. |
| STICKWORK | relieving done with the end of a brush or blunt instrument, picking out. |
| STIPPLING or STIPPLE-SHADING | a method of shading by dabbing paint. |
| TRACERY | Openwork pattern of masonry or wood in the upper part of an opening e.g window or screen |
| TREFOIL | A three lobed shape |
| TYPOLOGY | In medieval traditions of interpretation, Old Testament events are seen as anticipating those of the New, a system of parallelisms known as typology e.g. the story of Solomon receiving the Queen of Sheba would be paralleled by the wise men visiting the infant Christ |
| VIDIMUS | (Latin ‘we have seen’): a term used to denote the approved design for a window prior to the cartoon used by the glass painter. |
| YELLOW STAIN | a stain produced by applying a silver-compound solution to the surface of the glass. When fired, the stain turns yellow, which can range in hue from pale lemon to orange. It is nearly always found on the exterior face of the glass. |