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Calendar 2003 : Sharing the wonder of stained glass

by Vimukthi Fernando

Jan - Ephiphany... The Magi - St. John’s Church, Lindula

Stained glass, the most beautiful of all the glass forms... be it a window panel in the church, a wall hanger that adorns a room or a wine glass on your own dining table... This form of art which has the ability to change a room, charging it with energy and light, is much in vague now. So much so, it has come in different shapes, styles and sizes into the lives of Sri Lankans. Perhaps, stained glass has been included in those presents for your loved ones during the season as well....It is time to look at the stained glass creations, in Sri Lanka, where its history rests with the church. Built during the 19th and early 20th century during the renaissance of stained glass, many of the Sri Lankan churches boast a unique collection of stained glass windows. And bringing the history and a representation of the beauties into light, is the Ceylon Bible Society’s calendar for the year 2003. It highlights the splendour of the stained glass creations found in a cross section of Sri Lankan churches.

Medieval, mystical and beautiful. Being the 'miracle of light entering the soul directly' they adorned great halls and cathedrals manifesting a pure atmosphere of light and colour, inspiring contemplative attitude through the transformation of the ordinary. Competition, between the cities to see who could build the most magnificent structure in the name of God, was the secret behind its development. Many a Biblical story was depicted on a high window, for the understanding of the congregations, - thanks to this form of art.

Stained glass, the art of manipulating light and colour in an interior space still prevails throughout the world, not changing its form since original invention.

Opinion deffers as to how stained glass originated. While some claim its beginnings in jewellery making and mosaic, others argue that man knew the art of making and colouring glass by adding metallic salts and oxides, before recorded time. The first reference of the use of stained glass comes from 7th Century England.

However, in ancient architecture it seems as if stained glass had sprung up, mysteriously... in its already perfected form during 10th and 11th centuries.

The colours of those years were limited to shades of red, violet, blue and white.

The yellow stain was discovered only about the year 1300 which was extremely useful to highlight hair, haloes and crowns. Early works were first drawn out on a wooden board. Pieces of coloured glass were then cut to fit and enclosed in lead frames. The work was completed by soldering on the sides and being set on a wooden frame for more strength.

Feb - Flight into Egypt - Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya

Mar - The Holy Family - St. Joseph’s College, Colombo

Apr - The Crucifixion - St. Andrew’s Scots Kirk, Galle Face, Colombo

May - The Crucifixion, The Ascention - St. Mark’s Church, Badulla

Jun - The Resurrection, The Pentecost - Holy Trinity Church, Nuwara Eliya

Jul - The Second Coming of Christ the King - Christ Church, Galle Face, Colombo

Aug - The Good Shepherd - Methodist Church, Colpetty, Colombo 3

Sep - Jesus Blessing Children, Jaurus’ Daughter - Holy Trinity Church, Nuwara Eliya

Oct - Of such is the Kingdom of God - St. Andrew’s Church, Haputale

Nov - The Bread of Life - St. Margaret’s Church, Kotagala

Dec - The Nativity of Our Lord, All Saints Church, Borella

Although manufacturing a stained glass design was a laborious task in medieval times, for it needed an alchemist to formulate the glass, a chemist to figure out the colours, a metallurgist to mine and cast the lead and an artist to design the windows, it rose to fame and was found throughout Europe.

The artists of yore possessed intuitive knowledge about how the colours change depending on variable light.

They applied this knowledge by placing windows with dominantly cold colours in the walls facing North and West and with warm colours facing the East and South.

The 15th century brought the art of stained glass, to its pristine glory, in the form of Gothic Rose windows. The most perfect accomplishment in the art of stained glass, they were expositions of light and colour, and as a whole they were purely abstract since presented scenes had melted into a picture of glory.

However, the Reformation of the Church in the 1540s in England, and the change in religious outlook undermined the need for this sacred art.

Different developments in colouring, saw windows painted with colour enamels on colour-less glass. They lacked the intricate lattice work of the lead lines. The ordinary colour glass was used for all windows in church in order to make the interiors light-up as much as possible.

The revival of stained glass came in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, thanks to the efforts of several amateur art historians and scientists who tested a vast number of pieces of glass to unlock their colour secrets.

However, except for church windows, stained glass remained in decline until the post World War II period.

And stained glass or in other words, art glass is used in its many forms for various purposes today. They not only decorate places of religious significance.

It has come out in all its glory to the corporate building, hospital, restaurant, household... and so on in many forms.

The last 30 to 40 years had given rise to many new and imaginative forms of this art. While stained glass windows, decorative panels and lamp-shades adorn homes, story panels enhance the atmosphere of museums and art centres, and stained glass room dividers, walls, domes and ceilings enhance the business atmosphere.

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