Medieval Stained Glass at The Met
Among The Met’s many medieval treasures are magnificent stained-glass windows originally displayed in great churches, cathedrals, and castles across Europe. Although stained-glass windows were produced as far back as ancient Rome, the art form reached its height during the Middle Ages between the years 1150 and 1500.
Most surviving knowledge about medieval stained-glass-making techniques is owed to the writings of a 12th-century German monk, artist, and metalworker by the name of Theophilus. In his text On Diverse Arts, Theophilus carefully documented the methods of glaziers and glass painters at work so as to provide detailed instructions for how to create stained-glass windows of “inestimable beauty.”
Glass was made by cooling a melted mixture of sand and wood ash (also referred to as potash). To color the glass, certain powdered metals could be added to the mixture while it was still in its molten state. The glass could then be blown into a tubular shape, slit on the side, and flattened into a sheet; or spun with a pontil iron into a round sheet called a crown. In order to create a pictorial image, glass pieces were assembled over a design drawn on a board, with the edges of each piece fitted into H-shaped strips of lead (cames). The cames were soldered together to secure the panel, putty was inserted between the glass and the cames for a watertight seal, and the entire composition was finally stabilized with an iron frame before being mounted in its intended window frame. This process yielded fabulous, jewel-toned panels depicting narrative scenes and ornamental motifs.
However, not all examples of medieval stained glass are colorful. In the year 1134, a Roman Catholic monastic group known as the Cistercian Order issued a ban on the use of pigmented glass in response to principal founder Bernard of Clairvaux’s (French, 1090–1153) insistence that such decorations were distracting, inappropriate, and unnecessarily costly. Grisaille, a type of nonfigurative design painted in black line on colorless glass, developed as a result.
By the 13th century, colored-glass details were conservatively introduced into some grisaille designs.
Art Ornaments Inspired by The Met Collection
Four French stained-glass panels serve as the inspiration behind our luminous French Stained-Glass Motifs Ornaments, new for 2025.
Two of the original stained-glass works—a vibrant foliate border section (ca. 1140–44) and a panel depicting angels swinging censers (ca. 1170)—are on view in the Medieval Art galleries at The Met Fifth Avenue.
The other two (ca. 1240 and ca. 1320–30), both examples of grisaille (shown above), can be found at The Met Cloisters.
Shop the French Stained-Glass Motifs Ornaments in-store and online, along with a selection of handcrafted ornaments, and be sure to check out this comprehensive guide to Met Store ornaments. Plus, get an early start on your holiday shopping with our Fall Catalog.
