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19th Century, Aesthetism, American, American Craftsman, Art Nouveau, arts and crafts, Décor, furniture, furniture history, handcraft, handcrafted decor, history, imported furniture, imports, interior design, lamps, lead light, leadlight, Paul Sahlin, stained glass, Tiffany, Victorian
Stained glass has a colorful and artistic history that is steeped in religious and interior décor. Traditionally, artisans built the glass into flat panels and framed the multicolored pieces, which became known as stained glass windows. Inspired by The Bible, literature, and history, they have adorned Europe’s churches and cathedrals since the late Middle Ages.
Applying the same process to objets d’art (works of art) during the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements of the Victorian era, Louis Comfort Tiffany brought new flavor to the art of stained glass windows (leadlight), and also to lamps, glass mosaics, blown glass, ceramics, jewelry, and metalwork. MBW Furniture features a broad selection of antique English window frames, Antique English stained glass Pub Bars, and Art Nouveau décor.
Tiffany created his famous lamps and décor by an arts-and-crafts process called “lead came and copper foil glasswork.” To recreate his process, artisans cut colored glass and arrange the pieces into picturesque designs. The traditional process used to build the wealthy homes and cathedrals of Europe required lead came.
Stained Glass Butterfly Sun Catchers – Paul Sahlin Art Nouveau Tiffany Lamps
The Victorian era and 19th Century replaced lead came with copper foil; the switch yielded the newfound ability to build three-dimensional objets d’art. While this style is often labeled “Tiffany,” historians disagree whether John La Farge or Louis Comfort Tiffany is the father of lead came glasswork.