harry clarke lithograph phoenix fine art

It is more likely that Egyptian or Mesopotamian potters accidentally discovered glass when firing their vessels.

Today, though, it is thought that Pliny - though energetic in collecting material - was not very scientifically reliable. The resultant mass had cooled and hardened into glass. In the morning, the fire’s heat had melted the sand and soda mixture. The legend recounts shipwrecked sailors who set their cooking pots on blocks of natron (soda) from their cargo then built a fire under it on the beach. Many histories of stained glass begin with Pliny’s tale of the accidental discovery of glass by Phoenician sailors. These slabs are called “dalles” from a French word meaning “paving stone.” The Obscure Beginnings of Stained Glass It usually looks milky and is held together by lead or copper cames.įaceted windows are made from slabs of glass ranging anywhere from one-half inch to three or four inches in thickness. The opalescent glass is that glass which is nearly opaque. Often the glass is highly textured to the point of using a three-dimensional glass for the folds of drapery or wings of an angel. The enamels actually change the color of the light but are applied only to the surface of the glass and are fired on as enamels on copper. Tiffany using colored enamels and opalescent glass. The art-glass form was made popular by Louis C. The paint is an oxide of lead – usually black, dark brown, or dark red. It is usually one-eighth inch thick and is held together by lead “cames.” Designs and features may be painted on in solid lines and fired in, and the glass may be shaded by putting on a light coat of paint which does not change the color but cuts down the amount of light passing through to meet the eye. The leaded is what we normally refer to as stained glass even though the term “stained glass” means any colored glass. Stained glass comes in three basic forms today: leaded, art, and faceted. It is one of the most unchanged crafts, still taking, as it did centuries ago, time and patience, and an appreciation for color and line design. It is the interplay between light and color that sparks the imagination. Stained glass possesses an aura of mystery and romance.

Harry clarke lithograph phoenix fine art