Stained Glass Design in the 1820's

Illustration: Nathaniel Whittock. Antique Rosette for Quart Foil, 1828.

Stained glass design seems an age-old tradition, but is perhaps more associated in most peoples minds with the traditions of the medieval period in Europe. Although stained glass design work can be found outside of the continent, particularly in the Islamic world, the breadth and scope, both ecclesiastical and domestic, make European stained glass design one of the central themes of both the craft and decorative arts world.

In 1828, Nathaniel Whittock produced a practical book entitled The Decorative Painters' and Glaziers' Guide. It was published in London and detailed aspects of the world of decorative painters and glaziers. The book itself was split into two sections, one dealing with the imitation of woods and marbles through the use of paint effects, the other with the various aspects of the glaziers trade including both painted and stained glass design. Although much of the book dealt with the technical skills involved in the process of the different decorative effects needed, there was also room for an element of design, even if only shown purely as a practical guide to the vocabulary of stained glass pattern work and how to integrate it within the context of the glazier's craft.

Illustration: Nathaniel Whittock. Stained glass design, 1828.

It is perhaps somewhat misleading of Whittock to call much of the design work 'stained glass', as in fact most of it was clearly painted. He seemed to tread a particularly unclear path by suggesting that by painting decorative motifs and pattern work onto already stained glass work, this could then be classed as stained glass in its own right. The fact that most of us would now assume that stained glass was a specific medieval craft rather than part of a glazier's repertoire, perhaps says much about the era in which Whittocks book was originally published.

It must be remembered that the book was published in 1828 and the date does set a certain amount of definition to the parameters of the decorative work featured in the book, particularly that of the glass work. The 1820s was the period of the reign of George IV, rather than his regency, and was therefore part of the dying days of the Georgian period. Many during this period were well aware that the best days of the House of Hanover were long gone. It was considered by the later Victorians in particular as a tasteless episode where every whim and eccentricity was indulged. They were particularly scathing as far as the architectural and decorative arts were concerned. The irony that later generations would feel the same about the Victorian world was probably beyond their understanding, as it no doubt is when concerning our own contemporary world.

Illustration: Nathaniel Whittock. Stained glass design, 1828.

Although the Victorians indulged in their own fair share of paint effects and illusional qualities when imitating more expensive materials, there were elements within the era that were intensely critical of the previous Georgian period. One such element was the Gothic Revivalists who were deservedly aghast at the general piecemeal and casual approach that Georgian architects and interior decorators had taken to the decorative arts. Church interiors had a particularly bad reputation, with a number of individuals in the late Georgian era removing intrinsic and irreplaceable medieval aspects of many churches and cathedrals. Some of these individuals actually included members of the church themselves who found it enticing to both modernise interiors as well as affecting their own personal stamp on the buildings, hopefully for their own posterity.

Stained glass was a particular problem within the dying days of the Georgian era. A number of original medieval glass panels and windows which had survived the English Reformation, the Civil War and the rule of Cromwell, were removed either to be replaced by inferior workmanship or by plain glass. It was considered by a number of individuals who should have known better, that the removal of medieval stained glass windows was a practical consideration which would allow more light to filter into churches, abbeys and cathedrals. Unfortunately, painted glass of the type recommended by Whittock was part of the problem faced by later generations. The design work was often considered to have been highly inappropriately used within the medieval context of many of the ecclesiastical buildings from that era.

Illustration: Nathaniel Whittock. Rosettes for stained glass, 1828.

It was considered that the Georgian era was classically motivated and therefore intrinsically hostile to the medieval. While not strictly true, there were a number of critics, architects, designers and decorators who tried to blend their own interpretation into the medieval framework, it was noticeable how little genuine research had gone into the decorative work that was classed as medieval or gothic and how much of the ensuing medieval was still very much classically inspired, often having a disingenuous medieval veneer. That many of these additions had to be removed in the later nineteenth century perhaps says much about the workmanship. However, many Victorian restorers did much more damage than the late Georgians and fundamentally so, leaving many ecclesiastical buildings across England irreparably damaged and altered.

Stained glass itself was perhaps one of the success stories of English nineteenth century craft and the decorative arts. Although much of the work highlighted by Whittock was painted glass rather than stained, the Victorians set themselves the task of re-learning the original medieval stained glass craft much of which had been long forgotten. This included traditional forms of glass making, colouring and lead work, much of which Whittock's book reproduced through imitation and illusion. In this respect, ecclesiastical and domestic stained glass produced from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, had a much more traditional grounding and was linked directly to the medieval craft, rather than to that of the Georgian ideals of illusion and make believe.

However, it is also important to remember that Whittock was working within the tried and tested parameters of the Georgian decorative arts. He was particularly concerned with of the practical application of those arts as used by professionals within the trades that supplied the interiors market. It was not necessarily up to him to challenge the prevailing tastes and judgements of the day.

Illustration: Nathaniel Whittock. Rosettes for stained glass, 1828.

For anyone as interested as I am in the extraordinary length that some book titles reached in the nineteenth century, they might be interested in hearing the full title of Whittock's 1828 publication. While many referred to the book as The Decorative Painters' and Glaziers' Guide it was in fact titled The Decorative Painters' and Glaziers' Guide; Containing the Most Approved Methods of Imitating Oak, Mahogany, Maple, Rose, Cedar, Coral, and Every Other Kind of Fancy Wood; Verd Antique, Dove, Sienna, Porphyry, White Veined, and Other Marbles; in Oil or Distemper Colour: Designs for Decorating Apartments, in Accordance with the Various Styles of Architecture; With Directions for Stencilling, and Process for Destroying Damp in Walls; Also a Complete Body of Information on the Art of Staining and Painting on Glass; Plans for the Erection of Apparatus for Annealing it; and the Method of Joining Figures Together by Leading, With Examples from Ancient Windows.

Further reading links:
Basic Stained Glass Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started (How To Basics)
Stained Glass Basics: Techniques * Tools * Projects
English Stained Glass
Medieval and Renaissance Stained Glass in the Victoria and Albert Museum
English and French Medieval Stained Glass in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Corpus Vitrearum)
Picturing the Celestial City: The Medieval Stained Glass of Beauvais Cathedral
Stained Glass From Medieval Times to Present: Treasures to be Seen in New York
The Medieval Stained Glass of Lancashire (Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi: Great Britain)
The Medieval Stained Glass of Cheshire (Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi)
Medieval Stained Glass in Suffolk Churches: "Let the Stained Glass Speak"
The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral (Corpus Vitraearum Medii Aevi)
Life, Death and Art: The Medieval Stained Glass of Fairford Parish Church A - A Multimedia Exploration
The Armor of Light: Stained Glass in Western France, 1250-1325 (California Studies in the History of Art)
Medieval and Renaissance Stained Glass 1200-1550 (Catalogue, 30)
A History of the Stained Glass of St. George's Chapel, Windsor (Historical Monographs Relating to St.George's Chapel, Windsor Castle)