introduction to medieval stained glass

Original 15th century triple composite window depicting John the Baptist in the wilderness, the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and the beheading of John the baptist.

Medieval stained glass was used in predominantly ecclesiastical settings to display a religious message to laymen in the church[1]. The windows used the refraction of colored light as a metaphor for heaven and God’s happiness[2]. The brilliant colors were also a symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem, where the light had a similar effect to gem stones. The use of light by medieval Christian churches was a conscious reference to Genesis, where “the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep” and then, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness”[3]. This very first Bible passage equates light with “good” and darkness with “evil”, and medieval churches utilized this comparison by filling the holy spaces with bright light, and therefore “goodness”. The stained-glass window that I focused my reconstruction on was a triple composite window from a French gothic chapel. A composite window means that different sections of the glass are from different time periods, which was a stylistic choice by the Pennsylvania Museum of Art. The portion of the glass that I am focusing on are the three central panels of John the Baptist’s life (highlighted in red). These three panels are from the 15^th century, which is too late to be considered medieval, so my project will focus on recreating the three scenes in a medieval style.

There are a few different elements of the original window that make it not considered medieval. The most noticeable feature is the ornateness of the design[4]. The stained-glass has many different elements that are not directly related to John the Baptist. There are small animals, background buildings, and detail that would never be seen in a medieval stained-glass window. The line work is also very complex, resulting in a more lifelike representation of John the Baptist than a medieval work would contain[5]. Additionally, the colors are much duller than a medieval piece would contain.

King David from the Augsburg Cathedral

The image of King David represents a typical stained glass piece. The vibrant blues and reds are very noticeable, and the colors hold more symbolic meaning. The representation of David is not concerned with realism, but rather symbolizes the goodness that King David stood for in the Bible. The line work of the piece is also much more simplified. The almond eye shape, simple facial structure, and body positions were very typical of the period, and I tried to recreate them in my pieces. There subject matter is also simplified, and the window is much flatter and two dimensional that the 15^th century glass[6]. Additionally, the symbolic images were meant to be understood by the uneducated.