Mosaics and stained glass must preserve the overall structure of the architectural ensemble, otherwise they will simply lose their meaning. The most labor-intensive and oldest technique of wall painting is fresco (“al fresco” - raw), i.e. painting on wet plaster.

The masters used a special pigment diluted with water as paint for painting the fresco. At the same time, the simultaneous drying of the paints and the base guaranteed the durability and strength of the coating. This effect was achieved due to the film formed when calcium carbonate dries, which served as a kind of paint fixer. The color palette of the fresco differs from the mosaic and is represented in natural pastel colors. An experienced fresco artist knows that after drying, the fresco painting becomes paler, and the fresco is done only in parts while the plaster is still wet. If there are any mistakes in the painting, nothing can be corrected; you can only remove the entire layer of damaged plaster. This is exactly what the great Michelangelo did, and the world now admires his creation in the Sistine Chapel.

Mosaic

An equally popular painting technique was mosaic - an image that was held on a cement base and consisted of pieces of multi-colored materials (marble, pebbles, smalt, semi-precious stones, colored glass) of various shapes tightly fitted to each other.

The first ancient mosaics decorated the floors of palaces and noble houses in Rome and Pompeii. They depicted copies of paintings by Greek masters and created landscape compositions. Gradually, mosaics made of colored glass (smalt) moved from the floors to the vaults and walls of churches. In order for the light to play and shine, pieces of smalt lay unevenly on the surface, which gave a great light reflection effect. It is precisely because of this property of mosaics that a special light aura has been preserved in medieval cathedrals today.

Stained glass

The name "stained glass" in French means window glass. According to history, the first stained glass windows adorned the churches of the Catholic Church back in the first century AD. Due to the use of colored glass, the light passing through the stained glass window is colored and creates an atmosphere that is optimal for places of worship.

Five fragments of stained glass windows from the Augsburg Cathedral are considered the oldest works in Europe. They are made of bright multi-colored glass using tonal shading and painting techniques, which only the highest skilled craftsmen could do.

Panel

A panel means a fragment of a wall, highlighted by any edging and filled inside with a sculptural or pictorial image. As a type of monumental painting, the panel can be executed in the form of a painting or a relief image. The panel can be made either from tiles, in the form of wood carving, embossing, gypsum stucco, etc. You can purchase a ready-made panel from tiles or wallpaper, or you can bring your own bold idea to life.

Introduction

Stained glass and mosaics, in the past, had their main purpose in serving architecture. They complemented and explained the language of her images. Their thematic content served the purposes of church and political propaganda; softened the harsh darkness of Gothic churches with their bright colors.

The analogy between stained glass and mosaic lies in the commonality of the material from which images of these two genres are made. This is colored glass, but in mosaic art the glass is muted, and in stained glass it is transparent. Mosaic uses the effect of reflected light, while stained glass uses the effect of transmitted light. Glass, especially polished glass, has a high reflectivity, and the brightness of mosaic colors surpasses anything that painting on any opaque material can provide. This is precisely the main advantage of mosaic monumental images over fresco, oil and other types of painting.

However, the saturation and richness of color shades that are observed in colored transparent glass when viewed in transmitted light cannot be compared with anything. The art of stained glass, which is based on the full use of the unsurpassed optical properties of transparent glass, brilliantly solved the decorative problem.

Stained glass

The term "stained glass" comes from the French word "vitre" (window glass). Stained glass is a decorative ornamental or thematic composition intended to fill a window opening, made from pieces of multi-colored glass, often painted with paints that are fixed to the glass by firing. Separate, figuratively cut pieces of glass are usually fastened together with lead bridges, forming a complex patterned binding. In especially large windows, the area of ​​which measures tens of square meters, the sash is cut out of stone, such as marble or limestone, and its individual parts are connected to each other with metal pins and brackets. Finally, some elements of window fittings, such as the frame that borders the entire composition, are usually made of iron or wood.

Stained glass windows are transparent paintings, drawings, patterns made of glass or on glass. They are usually installed in light openings such as windows, doors, and lanterns. Nowadays, due to the improvement of artistic glass processing, the concept of stained glass has also expanded. Stained glass is any decorative glass filling of window and door openings, lanterns, lampshades, vaults, domes, solid wall planes and even special decorations of artistic products.

Stained glass windows in the form of ornamental compositions, patterns or paintings are made of clear or colored glass, with painting of individual parts or the entire plane of the glass with ceramic paints or without painting. Stained glass windows made from individual glass parts are reinforced with lead tape; monolithic glass does not require reinforcement.

The purpose of stained glass is varied: they are a rich decorative decoration of buildings and individual rooms, replace window glass and door panels, transmit light and make it possible to isolate the premises of the first floors from prying eyes.

Reflecting in their images the character and purpose of the structure and complementing its artistic image, stained glass windows play a significant role in interior design.

Stained glass art has its origins in the distant past. Stained glass windows, which previously represented a set of colored glass, often served as a random decoration of the room; Over time, their composition, drawing, artistic glass processing and execution technique were improved. Stained glass windows became genuine works of art, an integral part of the strictly thought-out monumental and decorative decoration of buildings.

Stained glass, which was used mainly in the decoration of churches and monasteries, is gradually penetrating residential and public buildings. The religious theme of stained glass windows is being replaced by a secular one, reflecting the modern trend in art, following the aesthetic requirements and spirit of the era.

There are many stained glass windows created in the world by outstanding painters and skilled craftsmen. The name of the author or master often tells us the artistic value of a particular work of art. However, many wonderful stained glass windows were created by the hands of masters whose names remained unknown to us. An artist belongs to his era, but works of art often outgrow their era and become eternal. Similar stained glass masterpieces have been preserved in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and other countries. The stained glass windows stored in the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg are worthy of attention.

Stained glass windows benefit not only from bright sunlight, but also from the soft tones of sunset and sparkling evening lights. As for the artificial lighting of stained glass windows, even with fluorescent lamps, it has been established that such lighting gives the stained glass windows a frozen expression, it cannot cause that play of light and shadows, those light and color effects that are created by natural lighting, endlessly changing to throughout the day and throughout the year. It is, of course, possible in some cases to use special installations with synchronously changing artificial lighting, but this already falls into the realm of expensive equipment and hardly justifiable effects.

It is difficult to say when the first stained glass windows were created. In any case, there is no reason to claim that they appeared soon after the invention of glass. It is only known that mosaics made of small plates of colored glass were discovered in ancient Rome during the empire (first century BC - beginning of AD) and in the temples of the first Christians. Windows of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, which became the capital of Byzantium in 330 AD. e., were glazed with colored glass, apparently soon after the construction of the cathedral.

According to some literary sources, it is known that during excavations of the cities of ancient Italy Pompeii and Herculaneum, which died in 79 AD. e. During the eruption of Vesuvius, colored glass mosaic floors, wall paintings and fragments of stained glass were discovered. According to other sources, only glass mosaics of floors and walls were discovered in Pompeii, since the houses had few windows and mostly without glass. But the use of window glass is confirmed by pieces of frosted or, perhaps, opaque glass found during excavations.

Colored window glazing was originally a glass mosaic inserted into the stone and wooden openings of the window tracery. Then a mosaic of colored glass appeared, cut and assembled in a lead frame in the form of a pattern, geometric or floral design. Such mosaics were assembled in a metal frame and installed in window openings. It is very likely that the colors used in large windows were intense and bright, while in small windows they were used pale and calm.

Colored glazing gradually formed a special branch of decorative art and became equal among other branches and types of art.

Over time, the requirements for glass mosaic designs have increased. We tried to shade colored glass by applying darker colors. The results were positive. The technique of coloring glass by firing was discovered in the 9th century. This new technique has found widespread use. Thus, glass painting arose and developed at the end of the 10th century. With the development of glass painting, glass mosaic began to fade into the background, but it was not completely supplanted, but continued to exist in combination with glass painting.

Lead and black paint were used to make stained glass with human figures.

We often say: all the pieces of the puzzle have come together. Of course, we mean that all the events came together perfectly into a single picture. True, without our help it is unlikely that the puzzle of events would have worked out so successfully. In this, the mosaic of our reality is not very different from a real mosaic - paintings laid out from tens, hundreds and even thousands of tiny pieces. I was lucky enough to see how such paintings are created in one of the workshops of the Alexandria stained glass studio, where I was invited by the studio’s chief artist, Leila Al-Numan ( elenaleila ) .

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Twenty years ago, “Alexandria” was created as a stained glass studio, and I already talked about that. When creating stained glass windows, a wide variety of glass is used - from transparent to dense. Over time, quite a lot of remnants of dense, opaque glass accumulated, and the studio decided to try to put them to work - to start laying out mosaics. Six years have passed since that moment, and now mosaic can safely be called the second main specialization of the studio. For such important work, craftsmen were trained and workshops were equipped.

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In one of these workshops - a spacious room with high ceilings - I saw how mosaics were assembled. The light pouring from the high windows illuminated the huge tables on which paintings of varying degrees of completion were laid out. Along the edges of each table, among the scattered pieces of glass, lay all sorts of tools: pliers, intricately shaped wire cutters, glass cutters, knives and markers. The craftsmen were bending over two mosaics and working.

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Along the walls there were tall shelves with bathtubs, each of which contained ready-made modules - small rectangular pieces of glass. A narrow staircase pressed against the wall led to a small balcony. With every step, pieces of glass creaked and crunched underfoot - the craftsmen, in order not to look away from their work, threw the scraps directly onto the floor.

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At first glance, the mosaic was not much different from stained glass - the same pieces of glass that need to be cut out and fit into the picture. But if you take a closer look, a whole sea of ​​differences opens up. “It all starts with cardboard - a drawing of the future mosaic. Only if he comes to the stained glass artists with marked colors - here it will be yellow, here - blue, then we just see the general lines and sketch,” one of the masters Andrei told me.

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Today, mosaics are laid out in two main ways. In one, glass is cut to the exact size of an area - a flower petal or a dragonfly's wing - akin to a Florentine mosaic. With another, closer to the Roman mosaic, the picture is assembled from small rectangular pieces. “I don’t like cutting glass - you immediately depend on the colors that are on the finished sheet. Smalt is closer to painting - each module is like a brush stroke. And here we have much more freedom - we are our own artists. Suppose I decided that the hair on the mosaic should be gold - and I make it gold.”

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But this is far from the only difference between mosaic and stained glass. The work here is much more subtle - sometimes you have to lay out modules a little larger than an eyelash. And they still need to be cut out of glass and, if necessary, polished. The modules have to be fitted tightly to each other, with the smallest gaps. It’s not for nothing that craftsmen call this work jewelry.

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If necessary, the module can be polished on a special machine

“We usually lay out modules starting with a specific element. Here, for example, is a berry,” and Andrey showed me a sketch of a new mosaic and began to move his finger around the angular, stylized berry, “I’ll lay it out first, then a row around it, then another row. But sometimes it happens differently - look at how Andryukha works,” and Andrey nodded towards another master who was working on the mosaic icon of St. Nicholas, “he first laid out the face and brushes, secured them and inserted them into the overall panel. And now everything else is being built around them.”

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Most of the mosaicists in the workshop have an artistic education, but Andrei, when I asked how he started doing mosaics, answered with a grin: “I actually came here to work in the garage, I have no artistic education. I come and they ask me: “Have you ever laid out a mosaic?” Well, I answered no. No problem, they say, we’ll teach you. That’s how they taught me that I’ve been working here for six years now.”

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The modules are laid out on mounting film - a self-adhesive sheet that holds the glass pieces in place. When the whole picture is assembled, arakal is glued on top of the front part - another self-adhesive sheet. After this, the mosaic is turned over and the mounting film is removed, and in its place they put a base - a special fabric, onto which the mosaic elements knitted with arakal are finally glued. When the modules are firmly fixed to the base, the arakal that has become unnecessary is removed.

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Mosaic based on Gustav Klimt's painting "Water Snakes". Andrey worked tirelessly on this mosaic for three months.

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Such cunning manipulations are done so that the artist, when typing, sees the front part of the mosaic - the way it will appear after installation on the base. There is, however, also a so-called reverse set, when the mosaic is assembled in a mirror image directly on the arakal. But glass for mosaics is a whimsical thing: often one side can be strikingly different from the other in pattern and color, and it can be predicted. It will be very difficult to predict what the mosaic will look like in the end when it is set back.

“And after that the most interesting part begins - rubbing the seams. The grout is selected to match the color of the modules and, if necessary, the desired color is added. But after this, the work may change beyond recognition: some areas will lighten, others will darken, and some colors may merge. And nothing can be done about it - you can only imagine each time what will happen in the end.”

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The work went on as usual - small pieces of glass, one after another, lay on the table, forming a future picture. I finished filming, watched the mosaicists at work a little more, and then left the workshop. Before leaving, I looked into the studio office and met Leila there. We started talking - about art, about photography, about the internal affairs of the studio. “You can get tired of any work, even creative work. Any artist can get burned out and then need a break. If we see that a person has fallen into a stupor, then we try to give him some other work - sort out samples, go somewhere.”

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At the end of the conversation, Leila took out a large black box with glass samples from under the table: “Now I’ll show you what... if you don’t like them, then you have nothing sacred.” With these words, she threw back the cardboard cover, and even rows of thin plates appeared to my gaze. With burning eyes, Leila began to sort through them, and soon took out one piece of glass: intricate multi-colored stains spread inside the thin transparent square. In the thickness of the next square, a colony of mold seemed to have grown, and another sample was pierced by airy white feathers.

“When you’re tired of everything and have no strength, this is what helps you not give up and move on.” And in these words there were feelings much deeper than simple devotion to the profession.

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Taken from anton_agarkov in Mosaic: glass painting

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Colored weave,
Window lancet landscape,
Saints, angels, heroes,
And it’s called stained glass.
Vladimir Frenkel

At the moment, there is a division of stained glass into types and types. Their classification is based not only and not so much on the methods of their production, but on the characteristic features of their appearance or functional purpose. Moreover, some of them can be made using the same technique. The options are based either on different methods of glass bonding, or on specific characteristics.

For example, we can distinguish the following types of modern stained glass windows:
- Sandblasted stained glass window.
- Mosaic stained glass.
- Stacked stained glass.
- Stained glass (fusing).
- Painted stained glass.
- Etched stained glass.
- Soldered stained glass window.
- Faceted stained glass.
- Combined stained glass.
- Cabochon.
- Pattern “Frost”.
- Bloom.
- Etching.
- Multilayer etching.
- Glass tile.
- Banner.
- Erklez.
- Bending.
- Shebeke (panjara).
- Contour stained glass window and many others.

But I will dwell in more detail on the classification based on manufacturing technique.

Stained glass windows are divided into the following types:

1. Classic (stacked or mosaic) stained glass- formed by transparent pieces of glass held in place by partitions made of lead, copper, or brass. Classic stained glass is divided into lead-soldered (assembled on a lead profile) and stained glass using Tiffany technology (assembled on a copper tape).
The production process of classic stained glass consists of several stages. Initially, a sketch of the ornament is created. Next, a U-shaped profile is made using its template, after which parts from colored glass are cut out. Each glass element is framed with brass, aluminum or copper broach and soldered to other stained glass parts. Thus, an H-shaped profile is obtained that connects all the fragments, and the soldering seam becomes invisible.

To make a stained glass picture with an area of ​​more than one square meter more durable, during the creation process it is divided into separate sections.

- Lead-soldered (soldered) stained glass window - a classical stained glass technique that appeared in the Middle Ages and served as the basis for all other techniques. Parts of glass, cut along the contours of the pattern of the future stained glass window, are inserted into a lead profile sealed at the joints. Instead of lead, copper, brass and other so-called hard metal profiles have recently been more often used. Colored glass for soldered stained glass is prepared in a special way: paint from fusible glass and metal oxides (dyes) is applied to the surface of the main glass, and then fired in special furnaces. Fusible glass is fused into a glass base, resulting in reliably colored and fairly durable glass.

- Tiffany - one of the most popular stained glass manufacturing technologies. Such compositions are assembled from turned parts wrapped in copper adhesive tape. The fragments are connected using tin-lead solder.

Tiffany products have a special attractive power. In an effort to lighten and reduce the weight of stained glass, to create complex, filigree-thin products, Louis Tiffany was able to completely change the entire direction in stained glass technology. The lead rods traditionally used to join glass seemed too rough to him. Therefore, Tiffany began to fasten pieces of glass not with lead, but with copper strips, which were glued together with beeswax and then soldered with tin.

Thus, he had the opportunity to connect even the smallest pieces of glass and create elegant and airy products of any shape, including curved ones. His invention made a real revolution in glassmaking. Finally, it became possible to solder not only flat stained glass windows, but also to use concave glass of a wide variety of shapes and create complex three-dimensional, including round and oval products.

- 3D stained glass.
A three-dimensional image of Tiffany is sandwiched between two tempered glasses, creating the 3D stained glass window that is popular today. Such stained glass windows can be installed as double-glazed windows, as they have excellent sound insulation, durability and thermal conductivity, and are also easy to clean.

A stained glass window is a classic double-glazed window with triple glazing, where the third, internal panel is the stained glass itself, which is usually made using Tiffany technology.

2. Painted stained glass— a design is applied to the surface of the glass with transparent paints, followed by firing.

Painted stained glass is made using special water-soluble paints. The drawing on such compositions can be of almost any format. To increase durability, painted stained glass windows are fired at high temperatures or coated with a protective solution.

Stained glass painting received the greatest recognition when decorating the interiors of various rooms in the Art Nouveau style at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite the wars and other disasters of the past century, the secrets of making stained glass painting were not lost. Due to the development of new technologies, ancient art has received additional opportunities to create beautiful glass paintings.

3. Combined stained glass— is formed by a combination of various technologies for creating stained glass.

Several popular techniques are used to produce such products. As a rule, making combined stained glass windows is complex and painstaking work, so the cost of the products is quite high.
The first possible use of combined stained glass dates back to the 12th century and is associated with the first treatise on the manufacture of stained glass for a window, written by the monk Theophilus. It described the production of a glass base, its painting and cutting with a hot iron rod into individual relief elements, which were then assembled according to a pre-prepared sketch.

After all this, the colored glass was additionally painted with paints to improve the drawing of the details of the picture, and then all the elements were connected with lead wire and soldered together. This is how the first combined stained glass windows were created, which consisted of a mosaic of colored figured glass and painted elements.

Subsequently, the painting technique in combination with classic stained glass was used to fit the stained glass to a wider window opening. In this case, such inserts were created in the form of an ornament. In modern times, combined stained glass solves complex figurative problems. The combination of some stained glass techniques allows you to achieve some optical effects and textural richness.

4. Sandblasted stained glass window.
The first mention of sandblasted glass dates back to the times of Ancient Rome. It covered the vault of the changing room of the baths in Pompeii. Thus, already in that period, primitive continuous matting, created by rubbing sand with a flat stone, was used for decoration and hiding what was happening from prying eyes.

Initially, only small and fairly simple patterns could be applied using a sandblasting tool. However, the constant improvement of the apparatus over almost a hundred years has led to the fact that in modern art workshops the sandblasting process is almost completely mechanized. This allows you to apply complex, intricate patterns and designs to a glass surface of any shape and size. Thanks to the ability of modern equipment to change the degree and depth of matting, the applied image can be completely matte, have a light foggy coating, or be voluminous, which makes the product spectacular and original.

5. Sintered stained glass (fusing).
Fusing is the sintering of elements on special degreased glass. During processing, a furnace with temperature control is used. A special production technology allows you to achieve a three-dimensional image, a watercolor effect or solidity.

The first fused pieces of glass were obtained back in the 1st century BC, while modern melting furnaces for sintering glass using the fusing technique (from the English Fuse - melting) first appeared in 1990 in Germany. Pieces of colored glass were connected to each other not with the help of metal broaches, but by sintering under the influence of very high temperatures (600-850C). This method was a continuation of the hot enamel technique, but the use of transparent glass that transmits light rays made it possible to give the enameling technique extraordinary brightness and purity, lightness and delicacy.

6. Etched stained glass.
Specifically, let's look at frosted stained glass windows.

To make a frosted composition, the glass is given a certain roughness. Stained glass with such a surface is made using various technologies, in particular laser radiation, metal spraying, chemical treatment, etc. This technique ensures exceptional durability of stained glass.

The etching technique dates back to the days of Ancient Rome, when glass was frosted by rubbing sand on the glass using a flat stone. Later it became known that the use of sand is possible in the artistic decoration of glass surfaces. At first, the simplest patterns and designs were created, but as matting equipment was improved, the images became more and more complex.

The chemical matting method also has its own history. This method was previously toxic, so many stained glass artists introduced different formulas to create a matting substance with the addition of hydrochloric acid, sodium fluorosilicate, etc., which accelerated the process of etching the glass surface. In Japan, a composition was invented based on molten salts with the addition of a hydroxide, a monovalent cation bicarbonate. The difficulty lay in the difficult working conditions for molten salts. Then special matting pastes were created, the use of which leads to the development of the design, but their main substance became acids (fluoric and sulfuric).

In 2002, a complex multicomponent reagent was invented to frost glass, which consisted of potassium nitrate, lithium nitrate, barium sulfate, barium fluoride and dimethyl sulfoxide.

As a rule, glass, mirrors and plexiglass are matted.

7. Cast stained glass— each glass module is hand-cast or blown. Glass, the thickness of which varies from 5 to 30 mm, is also given a surface texture, which, by refracting light, enhances expressiveness. Cement mortar and metal reinforcement are used to hold the glass together.

8.Facet.
Faceted stained glass windows are made from faceted elements, carefully ground and polished, with a chamfer removed. The parts are fixed on a specially treated base. Such compositions are heavy, as they are made of thick glass.

The manufacturing technology of beveled stained glass can be classified as classical. The difference from the latter is that all or some elements of the glass picture are pre-processed in a special way in several stages. First, using a special machine, the edge is cut from the glass at the required angle. Then it is polished, as a result of which it becomes matte and does not transmit light. And the final stage is polishing, which makes the part completely transparent.

Imitations of stained glass:

1. Contour stained glass window— a pattern is applied to the surface of the glass using acrylic polymers in two stages: the contour imitates the vein of a classic stained glass window, in the closed areas formed by applying the contour, colored elements are manually filled (English technology).

Filled stained glass is considered the best imitation of Tiffany technology. All stages of development are carried out by experienced stained glass production craftsmen. Thanks to the use of special paints and moisture-resistant coatings, the service life of such compositions is almost unlimited.

2. Film stained glass— lead tape and multi-colored self-adhesive film (English technology) are glued to the surface of the glass.

Film stained glass windows are made from special polymer materials of different colors and shades. For fixation, clamps and a tin or lead profile are used here. This option is a budget alternative to expensive luxury stained glass windows.

The history of film stained glass is directly related to the history of the 20th century. The war that swept over the world in the forties of the last century left behind colossal destruction: many cities and towns lay in ruins. For their speedy restoration, new technologies were required that would allow the construction of beautiful buildings quickly and efficiently.

Currently, stained glass films are manufactured in various countries around the world.

3. Overlay stained glass- obtained by gluing elements onto a base. It is a type of film. Although colored glass can also be used for overlays.

4.Photo printing
The most durable and high-quality photo printing is in triplex. There are also direct and film options. The drawing here can be absolutely anything. Photo stained glass windows are considered one of the best options for budget decor. However, such compositions should be installed away from bright sunlight.
The technique of full-color photo printing on glass appeared quite recently - a little more than one decade ago.

Glass was used to decorate ceramic and stone products, as well as jewelry, when colored glass imitated precious stones.

After the Romans in the 1st century. BC. captured Syria and Egypt, developed centers of glassmaking, glass production quickly spread throughout the territory of the Roman Empire. Glass products that poured into Rome from the conquered territories were in high demand, and the influx of slaves and material resources contributed to an unprecedented flowering of crafts, fine arts and, of course, architecture.

Roman architects created great works of art using new techniques and designs, lavishly decorating interiors. Palaces, temples, theaters, baths, aqueducts, and triumphal arches were built. Glass plates were used to decorate walls, columns, floors and ceilings - as Pliny testified.

Mosaics have become especially widespread

The earliest examples of it were found in southern Mesopotamia and date back to the 4th millennium BC. e. The mosaic of the Red Temple in Uruk (Mesopotamia, 3rd millennium BC) has been preserved, which is a clay coating of the walls inlaid with colored heads of clay cones. One of the finds in the Palace of Knossos, dating back to the early Minoan period, indicates that mosaic work was known during the Cretan-Mycenaean culture.

During the Hellenistic era, mosaic art reached a high level.

The mosaic floors of houses in the ancient cities of Olynthos, Delos, Priene, Pompeii, and the wonderful pebble mosaics of the ancient city of Pella are well known. Precious and semi-precious stones were often used in mosaics that decorated temples and palaces.

By this period, which covers the period from the 3rd century. BC e. before the 1st century n. e., date back to the beginning of the Greeks’ use of smalt and glass mosaics.

Colored glass not only enriched the mosaic, but also gave this ancient art form new artistic possibilities.

The beauty of glass has made this material the most popular for mosaics; the stone remained only in the floor mosaics.

During this period, in Egypt, which was part of the Ptolemaic monarchy, under the influence of the culture and crafts of Greece, mosaics began to be made in the glass workshops of Alexandria. Thin plates were cut from glass rods of various colors, which were used to decorate dishes, and much later, the walls and floors of buildings.

The earliest known glass mosaics were found in Lower Egypt. During the Roman Empire, mosaics were used to decorate the pools of fountains, the walls of baths and nymphaeums, the floors and walls of palaces and mansions.

From III – IV centuries. began to widely use smalts, which gave the mosaics depth of colors, sonority and shimmering tones thanks to the golden underlying layer. In the IV – V centuries. mosaics of amazing decorative richness are created; An example is the mosaics in the rotunda of St. George in Thessalonica.

But mosaic art reached a special flowering on the territory of the Byzantine Empire in the 5th – 6th centuries.

During this period, magnificent mosaics of the Cathedral of St. Sofia and the Great Palace of the Emperors in Constantinople, as well as the churches of Ravenna in Northern Italy. Byzantine influence affected the character of the Ravenna mosaics - they have a golden background. The mosaics on the inner surface of the dome of the mausoleum of Galla Placidia are among the best among the early Ravenna mosaics.

From the 9th century Local mosaic schools began to develop rapidly. The art of mosaic is expanding into new territories.

Mosaics were used in the interior decoration of St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv in the 11th century. The floors, walls, columns and vaults of the St. Sophia Cathedral were lined with mosaics, which were considered lost for a long time. At the end of the 19th century. the surviving fragments were rediscovered.

In Kievan Rus, mosaics were used to decorate churches in Novgorod, Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, Polotsk, Chernigov, etc. Excavations in Kiev in 1951 discovered workshops for the production of smalt, mosaics, enamels, and glass products dating back to the second half of the 11th century.

From the 12th century The Venetian school of mosaic is developing rapidly.

During this period, mosaics of the Cathedral of St. Mark (XIII – XIV centuries). Mosaic rises to the heights of independent decorative art.

History has brought to us many magnificent mosaic works. These days, beautiful mosaics decorate modern buildings.

Among other types of architectural and artistic glass used for cladding and decorating interiors, one can name mirror glass, which has been used for a long time, sheets of colored glass, glass elements for interior decoration, glass slabs that have appeared relatively recently, etc.

The first mirror appeared in Venice in the 14th century, and in the 17th century. production of mirror glass has become widespread. It was widely used for interior decoration. In the 18th century colored and milky-white glass was used in interior decoration.

At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. The Venetian glass industry began producing chandeliers made of clear glass. The production of chandeliers, sconces, and floor lamps made of glass and crystal has become especially popular in France and Russia. From the beginning of the 18th century. The demand for such products has increased sharply. Architects widely used glass and crystal for interior decoration. Outstanding Russian architects used glass to solve a wide variety of decorative and monumental problems, especially in the era of classicism.

Nowadays, glass is widely used for interior decoration of buildings. Along with performing utilitarian functions, such finishing, as a rule, has high decorative qualities and makes the interior more expressive.

The most significant application of glass in construction is the use of glass in glazing structures

Window glazing was first used by the Romans shortly before the new era. Early Roman houses were illuminated and ventilated through doorways opening into the atrium. However, already during the time of the Roman Republic (VI century BC - 27 AD), windows were widely used in residential buildings, palaces, and public buildings. The first glazing appears.

The “terra forum” built in Pompeii (80 BC) had fairly large glazed windows. The glazing was thick cast glass with fused edges in a bronze frame.

When constructing residential buildings, more and more attention was paid to the connection between the internal space and the environment. The interior spaces opened up to the outside world through galleries, windows, porticoes or wide openings into courtyards with gardens, fountains and sculptures.

In continental Europe, Scotland and Ireland, windows developed from doorways, where they were used for both light and passage. Later, this solution took the form of a fan-shaped window above the door and half-glazed doors. Glass gradually replaced mica, marble, parchment, alabaster and other opaque materials in doorways. The spread of glass making in European countries accelerated the use of glass in window openings.

However, glass from Western European workshops was of lower quality than Egyptian and Roman glass. It had cracks, bubbles and other defects; its color range was limited, and the range of products was more than modest.

And only the glass production of Byzantium, which arose even before Roman rule in the 6th century. BC e. and reached its peak by the 4th century. n. e. under Emperor Constantine the Great, who gave glassmakers great privileges, the quality of products and the skill of artisans could be compared with the production of Egypt and Rome. Byzantine colored and gilded glass was especially famous.

In 1688, in France, and later in England, a method of producing thick glass using casting, which was then ground by hand, appeared. This glass was used for glazing windows and making mirrors. The casting method made it possible to produce sheets of quite large sizes. Window frames made of wood, stone, plaster, bronze, and steel take on a modern look. The traditional way of using sheet glass is developing - in the form of glazing in frames that fill openings in solid walls.

During the 19th century, several architectural styles changed; windows took different shapes, but always remained openings in a massive load-bearing wall. At the same time, glass was given a modest place to fill light openings and did not play a dominant role in shaping the architectural appearance of the building facades.

Romanesque architecture was based on the use of arched vaults. Its characteristic features are massive stone walls with small, sparse windows in the depths of the niches, which is why there was not enough lighting inside the rooms. The Gothic style, which replaced Romanesque architecture, was called upon to solve this problem.

The leading type of building in Gothic architecture is the majestic structure, the city cathedral. The size of the cathedrals and the richness of their decoration served as an expression of the power and wealth of the cities. With the advent of pointed arches and flying buttresses, the size of windows increased significantly, but the span of the window determined the height of the floor. In cathedrals, the height of the floor could be significant, but in civil buildings the windows remained narrow and small.

Decorative stained glass occupied a special place in the architecture of the past.

Colored stained glass windows first appeared in the 6th century. in Byzantium, decorating the windows of the Cathedral of St. Sophia.

Stained glass consisted of fragments of colored flat glass, cut out according to a specific pattern and joined together with a lead profile.

Glass for stained glass was first produced by casting, and then by blowing. The sheets were about 1 cm thick, their surface was uneven and rough, and the glass was not transparent enough.

In the Middle Ages, a craftsman would boil glass in a ceramic pot and then produce a sheet of glass by casting or blowing. Probably, the artist was present when the glass was melted or selected glass of the required colors from one prepared in advance by the artisan. Drawings and sketches were made with charcoal on boards, and later on parchment. Glass cutting According to the drawing, it was carried out like this: the glass was heated in the right place with a hot metal rod, and then cooled with water, and a crack formed. By developing the crack in the desired direction, glass of the required shape was obtained. Each piece of glass was finally adjusted to the design using a tool that was the prototype of the modern glass cutter.

In the 10th century stained glass windows began to be painted with ceramic paints.

Fragments of glass were temporarily fastened and the main elements of the image and details were drawn: faces, folds of clothing, hands, etc. The painted pieces of glass were fired in a furnace at a temperature below the melting point of glass. The lead H-shaped profile was smelted in a stained glass workshop. The finished pieces of stained glass were assembled according to the drawing. The joints of the lead rod were connected by soldering on both sides. Along the perimeter of the stained glass window was framed by a massive lead profile, which was attached to the racks in the window.

During the VI – IX centuries. The technique of making stained glass spread throughout Europe. The treatises of Gregory of Tours and Fortune indicate that the technology for making stained glass in the 6th century. was well known in Gaul.

Stained glass art reached its peak in the 12th century. on the territory of France.

This period coincided with the emergence of the Gothic style in architecture. The earliest are the stained glass windows of the Church of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, dating back to the beginning of the 12th century. In almost all major cities, churches are built that are decorated with stained glass:

• Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (1163-1196),
• Cathedral in Lana (1180-1220),
• Church of Saint-Rémy in Reims (1170-1181),
• Cathedral of Chartres (circa 1200),
• Cathedral in Mana (mid-XI - mid-XIII centuries),
• Amiens Cathedral (1218),
• Cathedral of Poitiers (circa 1215),
• Cathedral in Angers (second half of the 12th century), etc.

Chartres Cathedral is the only one in which almost all the stained glass windows have been preserved intact.

As the Gothic style developed, the windows in the buildings became larger, and the images of figures in the narrow windows became increasingly elongated.

One of the common elements of decorating the facades of Gothic cathedrals is the round stained glass window, the “rose”. However, increasing the size of the windows of Gothic cathedrals did not improve the illumination inside, because by the middle of the 13th century. stained glass windows were made from intensely colored glass; their designs were complex and rich.

By the beginning of the 14th century. appears T a technique for making stained glass “grisaille”, in which the entire surface of colorless glass was covered with a light monochrome continuous pattern, and a more intense and more relief pattern was applied on it.

Further development of the Gothic style led to an increase in the size of windows, at which walls practically ceased to exist. The glass surfaces of the cathedrals were almost entirely decorated with stained glass. Example - Holy Chapel in Paris, XIII century.

In Germany, painting on glass appeared in the 10th century, by the middle of the 11th century. it has become widespread.

One of the earliest are the stained glass windows of the Augsburg Cathedral, dating back to the 11th century. By the 14th century glass painting reached its peak. During this period, stained glass windows were created in the windows of the Erfurt and Cologne cathedrals, the Königsfelden Church in Aargau, etc.

Among the most significant examples of English stained glass are the windows of Merton's College in Oxford, dating back to the 13th century, and the windows of Wells and York Cathedrals.

In the XIV – XV centuries. Decorative stained glass windows with images of secular content appeared; stained glass windows are increasingly used in buildings for non-religious purposes. Stained glass technology developed and enriched, and the palette of colors increased. In the middle of the 17th century. Stained glass art fell into decline and was revived only at the beginning of the 19th century.

In Central Asia and the Middle East colored glass has been used in ornamentation in residential buildings, palaces and temples from ancient times to the present day. Colored stained glass windows in an ornamental frame were an organic continuation of the wall decor.

Stained glass windows made by ancient architects of the East differ significantly from European ones. They contain mainly blue and blue glasses rich tones with small inclusions of red glass, which creates the overall color scheme of the interior in cold tones and, in combination with the painting of the walls and ceiling, also in cold blue tones, evokes a feeling of coolness.

The functions of colored stained glass are varied

First of all, like regular glazing, they transmit light and protect from bad weather. Stained glass windows, complementing the artistic image of the building, play a significant role in the formation of the interior and, moreover, are a means of emotional impact. This property has long been used in places of worship to create a religious and mystical mood.

In secular buildings, colored glazing created a feeling of coolness or warmth, thus compensating for the deficiencies of the external environment.

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