Antique Stained Glass Windows

Antique stained glass windows have been a significant point of interest in America for the last forty years. A stained or leaded glass window is a pane made of numerous pieces of glass which can be clear or colored and leaded together.  Most of the European stained glass windows are primarily painted – the design features are painted on the glass pieces as oppose to American windows which use various colored pieces to attain the desired effect. A lot of desired windows were made between 1885 and 1920. Windows which are more intricate in design sense with tinier pieces are more sought-after. There are some features which boost the value of the window.

In the late 1870s, the windows were made with primarily transparent glass. By 1885, window makers start incorporating more intricate glass. The glass was more opaque with richer and more elaborate color combinations and textures to the glass. A lot of the antique stained glass windows of this period used marbleized glass kin shades of blue and streaks of yellow or red, white, orange, violet and white. Windows during this era usually incorporate the use of so many diverse types of jewels that can either be faceted like smooth cabochons and diamonds. There were many other different jewel colors – clear, iridescent or opalescent.

Generally, the greater the number of jewels in antique stained glass windows, the more valuable it is. Additionally, in this period clear glass which was bevelled in various shapes were combined with stained glass in order to produce the so-called combination windows. These stained and bevel combination windows especially when they are stylish or have elaborate designs are extremely desirable to collectors. Windows which were exclusively made of bevel glass were also popular in this era. These windows when made up of small curved pieces, usually combined with clear jewels, are highly attractive.

Among the pricey manufacturers of the antique stained glass windows include the Lamb Studios, Tiffany Studios and Rudy Brothers. All of them often plated two to four layers of glass altogether to generate multifaceted color depths, patterns and textures. Antique stained glass windows absolutely reveal the most elaborate aspect of the antique world and the past.