Issue No. 1 - Winter 2013

Stained Glass Observer The

A quarterly magazine devoted to discussing and appreciating Victoria’s stained glass heritage.

Featured Studio

Ward & Hughes of London

Featured Style

Gothic Revival

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The

Stained Glass Observer Next year will mark 40 years since I began inspecting and conserving stained glass windows across Victoria and I still get excited at the thought of what I might discover when I walk into an unfamiliar church or public building. There have been times when I have been left breathless at the sheer beauty or artistic skill displayed in many of our stained glass windows and feel it is time to make some of these treasures known to a wider audience. Victoria has an enviable legacy of the very best in many styles and periods of stained glass window production and I have met many people who plan excursions to call into churches, sometimes in the most remote places, to admire the often exceptional architecture, art works and fittings that are to be found there. These artifacts often tell the history of a locality having been donated by local families over generations to commemorate various people and events. Together they are a living history. The Stained Glass Observer will showcase some of my favourite windows and also inform about the different styles of stained glass and the studio’s who created them. Even though most people have a fondness for stained glass windows very few know anything about how they are created, who created them, what style they are and how they should be maintained if they are to survive the 21st century. There are many different styles of stained glass and many studios from Australia and overseas who have work represented in Victoria and, through The Stained Glass Observer, I hope to make these recognisable to a wider audience.

Contents 3 Feature Studio Ward & Hughes, London 6 Window Awareness Recognising Developing Problems 7 Design Styles Gothic Revival 12 Technical How Were these Windows Made? 14 For Custodians Stained Glass Conservation 15 Location of the Windows

At this point I am looking to e-publish the magazine on a quarterly basis and will include articles on a feature studio, a feature design style, techniques used to create effects in stained glass, information about stained glass maintenance and conservation and tips to help custodians inspect the windows in their care and identify any developing problems. So welcome to the first issue of The Stained Glass Observer and I hope you find it informative and enjoyable. Geoffrey Wallace June 2013

Geoffrey Wallace Stained Glass PO Box 2110 Caulfield Junction VIC 3161 Australia © 2013 www.gwsg.com.au

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Ward & Hughes London indows from the studio of Ward and Hughes are W rare in Australia. I can find only two documented installations, 2 single lancet windows in the nave of St. Bartholomewʼs Anglican Church, Norwood, SA and a suite of 6 windows in St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Camperdown, VIC. The studio was founded c.1836 by Thomas Ward and James Henry Nixon and was at the forefront of the stained glass revival of the early 19th century. Ward & Nixon had a close and important association with the antiquarian and connoisseur Charles Winston [1814-65] who led the push to rediscover the secrets of manufacture of mediaeval pot colour glass. This was achieved in 1852 and Winstonʼs new glass was termed ʻantique glassʼ, a name still used to the present day, to describe this exceptionally brilliant mouthblown glass. The first commission on which Winstonʼs new glass was used was for a series of windows at the Temple Church, London and made by Thomas Ward in 1852 to the designs of a young pupil of Nixonʼs, Henry Hughes. Nixon appears to have retired in 1853 and Hughes became Wardʼs new partner in the firm

continuing to work from Frith Street, London. Henry Hughes was the principal designer for Ward & Hughes up until his death in 1883. Wards early patterning and Hughes' figure compositions and colouring were quite exquisite. The nativity scene and its companions, installed at Camperdown in 1884, is probably one of the last designs by Henry Hughes, with its florid Gothic border entwining two vignettes similar to those of the two windows in South Australia, one of which dates from 1866. Exquisitely executed, the design of these windows displays a classic formalism typical of many other English studios of the time. At its peak the studio employed  over 100 people, and often commissioned other artists, including Thomas Curtis (1845-1924). When Hughes died in 1883 the running of the firm was taken over by Curtis, a relation, and continued production until the late 1920s. Curtis did some design work for the studio and the 1888 ‘Resurrection’ window at St. Paul’s shows the contemporaneous influences of a younger, more progressive designer, possibly Thomas Curtis.

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LEFT ‘Resurrection’ Ward and Hughes, 1888, Camperdown. BELOW Detail Ward & Hughes 1895, Camperdown.

When Hughes died in 1883 the running of the firm was taken over by Curtis, a relation, and continued production until the late 1920s. Curtis did some design work for the studio and the 1888 ‘Resurection’ window at St. Paul’s shows the contemporaneous influences of a younger, more progressive designer, possibly Thomas Curtis. The technical quality of the work is exceptional and complex with stains of varying hue used to advantage to create elegant detail in the subjects. The window includes at least three hues of



amber stain, a curious pink stain in the hair of Christ and a reddish stain in the halo. Stain usually only fires in colour from pale yellow through to dark amber with other applied colours being achieved through the inferior technique of enameling. The Ward & Hughes windows contain no enameling. As the studio grew in size and management tasks increased, Curtis employed George Parlby as the firm's main designer.

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In 1895, three more Ward and Hughes windows were installed in St. Paul’s, Camperdown and these could possibly be the work of George Parlby. One of the highlights of these windows, and what sets them above many other English traditional windows of the period, is the exceptional tonal control in the application of the matte [or shading] paint. The robes display the sheen and body of silk, the jewels sparkle and the pearls glow. The bodies reveal a thorough knowledge of anatomy and flesh appears as photo realism. A soft black vitreous glass paint has been used for the matting of the flesh of the dead and risen Christ, giving a pallid appearance while living people have been painted with a warm flesh brown. The six Ward and Hughes windows at St. Paulʼs, Camperdown are examples of the finest quality English glass painting of the period, well adapted to the stronger light of an Australian installation. SGO

Left. Ward & Hughes 1895, Camperdown.

Right. Ward & Hughes 1884, Camperdown.



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Recognising Developing Problems Many stained glass windows are now well into their second century of exposure to our harsh climate and are developing problems that, if left unattended, will eventually result in loss of glass or collapse of the window. While a leak in the roof or a crack in the plaster is immediately obvious, decay of stained glass is hard to observe without close examination.

Most of our windows survived their first hundred years with no maintenance whatsoever apart from the odd replacement of single pieces of glass that had suffered impact breaks. Stained glass windows, like all the other components of a building, naturally deteriorate with age and weathering and so require a cyclic maintenance programme to keep them water tight, structurally sound and to ensure their longevity.

When one considers the conditions under which stained glass has to exist, this attests to the inherent strength and resilience of the medium. No other art material has the capacity for survival as does leaded glass. Through a thickness of 3mm it is subjected to temperature differences from the interior to exterior surfaces which in summer can be in excess of 50’C. The exterior is assailed by wind, rain, hail and sun, while the interior is often subject to extended periods of dampness caused by condensation or leakage.

Most custodians of stained glass are unlikely to be involved in more than one instance of repair or maintenance during the time of their stewardship and many not at all. As a result of this, most lack experience and knowledge of stained glass and how to look after it. This has resulted in damage caused to windows by inexperienced contractors, especially glaziers and handymen, who have not been trained for this type of work. For this reason custodians can better serve themselves and their parish by being aware of the basic indications, current or developing, of the need for attention to stained glass.

Windows deteriorate at a very slow rate and if developing problems are identified early it allows time to prepare a strategy and plan fundraising to budget for work that will be needed if the windows are to survive.



In coming issues of The Stained Glass Observer I will examine different aspects and signs of window decay and explain how to monitor the condition of the windows in your charge. SGO Daylight showing around the perimeter of the window means it has moved in the frame and is not properly secured.

Broken solder joints need to be repaired to maintain the strength of the window and avoid splitting caused by building movement.

Paint loss can be caused by extended periods of dampness.

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Gothic Revival ictoria’s earliest windows were in the popular Gothic V Revival style which sought to emulate the atmosphere

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and feeling of the medieval windows of Europe. The style utilises pure, often primary, colours to create highly decorative effects whilst providing a symbolic narrative. Masterworks in this style are to be found around Victoria with standouts being the work of John Hardman and Co. from the UK and Melbourne’s first stained glass studio, Ferguson and Urie. In the Gothic Revival style, Ferguson and Urie windows were equal to or superior in design, painting and construction to anything produced in the UK or Europe and they provide us with a rich legacy of the very best of Gothic Revival. If you are interested in learning more about Ferguson and Urie I would suggest that you visit a web page managed by Ray Brown, a descendant of James Ferguson, who has set about documenting as many of the studio’s windows as possible and publishing his research and photographs at: www.fergusonandurie.wordpress.com There are a number of different stylistic trends within Gothic Revival, all relating to medieval times, that could be produced at greatly differing cost. A fully painted and stained, mouthblown antique glass window may cost as much as 10 times that of a geometric cathedral glass leadlight of the same size.

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Gothic Revival

Leadlight quarry windows. Usually made from cathedral glass in a repeating diamond pattern is the simplest and therefore cheapest form of the Gothic Revival style and was generally the style of the first windows to be installed in a new church in the 19th century. For extra cost, these windows could have richly coloured mouth blown glass borders in strong reds, blues and golds and for a bit more cost the coloured glass could be painted and fired with simple foliate or geometric designs.

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Stencilled quarry windows. These were a step up in price from leadlight and the painted and often stained patterns on the glass altered the way light passed through. Unpainted leadlight windows are a flat, even source of light but with stencil painted quarry windows the light has a dappled quality similar to light in a forest. The quarries were usually painted with a cross hatched background and often featured a fleur de lys or other floral motif whose shape sat well within a diamond. Some UK studios had a special production section for making stenciled quarries which could be bought in bulk and assembled elsewhere.

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Stencilled windows could be quite elaborate and extremely beautiful, incorporating strongly coloured geometric patterns and feature medallions of scenes or symbols. Based on the design and painting techniques of medieval grisaille windows, the effect imparts a shimmering and ethereal sparkle to a window.

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Foliated windows incorporate a pattern of intertwining branches with coloured leaves, flowers and/or fruit attached which were often copied from original medieval windows. They incorporate the full range of colours available in expensive mouthblown antique glass, often in very strong shades. The background to the foliate pattern is usually unpainted and quite transparent. Very strong reds or blues are most common and the windows appear to shimmer and move if there is a tree or moving clouds outside. Foliated windows usually incorporate small, fully painted scenes of figures often in a conservative classical style which is quite at odds with the historically correct foliation. This was possibly a result of the benefactor’s taste, as other windows, often by the same studio, incorporate elongated figures in the medieval style, curvilinear and stylised rather than naturalistic. The painted details are quite linear and well defined, the drapery folds are simple and the gestures expansive.

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Gothic Revival Figurative windows in the Gothic Revival style are two dimensional like their medieval counterparts and may contain either classical or gothic style figures. The background to the figures shows no perspective but often incorporates a painted tapestry or arabesque patterned glass, in sgraffito technique, to fill the space around the figures. If a background scene is suggested it is usually two dimensional and symbolic. There is usually a decorative canopy above and a base below the image that may take the form of painted architectural tabernacling or foliated or geometric patterns perhaps containing elaborate symbols. These sections were incorporated to take the space above and below a figure in what are normally tall, narrow openings called lancets. SGO

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How Were These Windows Made? The 19th century saw a great revival in everything medieval and stained glass windows were no exception. However, through the 17th and 18th centuries stained glass windows had fallen out of popularity and the techniques required to manufacture pot colour glass and the art of glass painting had been all but lost. So began a quest to rediscover these lost techniques and again produce windows that displayed the magnificence of earlier centuries. In England, in 1852, the first mouthblown ‘antique’ glass was reproduced and the creation of Gothic Revival stained glass began in earnest. Large, specialist stained glass studios were established and orders for new windows flowed in. Within the studios there was a division of labour between the different stages of manufacture. It began with the designer whose job it was to produce the coloured scale drawings for consideration by the benefactor. Once the design was approved, the cartoonist would set about and prepare a full size drawing of the window from which the glass would be cut and the images painted. Colour selection was often a specialised task and the selector would direct the glass cutter as to which colour would go in each section. Once cut the individual pieces of coloured glass were mounted with wax onto a large sheet of plate glass in readiness for painting. The pigment in vitreous glass paint is ferrous oxide (rust) and is available only in shades of opaque brown and black. It is used to create the beautiful images that we see in a window: folds of drapery, facial details, skin toning, etc. It involves the application of ferrous

oxide powder which can be mixed with various suspensions that allow it to flow like paint. It has to be built up in a number of layers each of which requires to be kiln fired before the next layer can be applied. A single piece of glass can sometimes undergo five or six firings before it is ready to be assembled into the window.

Glass painting is a difficult technique to master because unlike conventional painting it is applied in negative and actually inhibits light and colour from passing through the window. In this way the painter can control the amount of light that comes through different sections of a window. The painting needs to be performed over a light easel in order to observe the opacity of the paint as it is applied and removed. The glass painter may also apply silver stain to parts of the window. Staining refers to the application of silver nitrate to areas of the glass surface which is then fired in a kiln to impart a permanent transparent yellow or amber stain on the glass. No other colours are created by the ‘staining’ process. When the painting and firing was complete the separate pieces of glass would be assembled by the glazier using lead H channels called cames. The lead cames would be soldered together at their points of intersection to form the panels of stained glass. Finally, leadlight cement would be worked under the flanges of the came on both sides of the panel which sets to form a tight bond between glass and lead. A stained glass window gains its inherent strength, rigidity and waterproofing from this cement.

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It was this specialisation of tasks that allowed the various artisans to hone their skills and achieve the heights of quality that they did.

Finished painting and yellow silver stain

Acid etched glass with first painting

Assembly of panel in lead cames

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Right. 2006 autonomous panel by master glass painter Richard Millard (USA) shows the palette of colours available to the glass painter. Painted on clear window glass it can be seen that glass paint is limited to the naturally occurring shades of rust and the silver stain to different intensities of yellow. As a rule, all other colours in a window are the pot colour of the glass itself.



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Modern conservation techniques have developed

as a result of the great damage done in the name of restoration to stained glass windows in the past. Many of our most beautiful and important windows are missing sections of original glass because it has been thrown away during earlier attempts at repair with no thought being given to the long term conservation of what is often a very valuable and culturally significant work of art. This has occurred because the ‘repairer’ has considered broken original glass to be a less desirable inclusion than whatever is used to replace it. Unfortunately, in most cases the replacement bears very little resemblance to the original painted glass.

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Stained Glass Conservation Today we choose to repair rather than replace broken glass and if missing pieces need to be replicated great care is taken to match the original as closely as possible.

The numerous pieces of painted coloured glass that go to make up a stained glass window are the ʻcanvasʼ of the original stained glass artist and should be preserved at all costs. Modern conservation techniques, and indeed traditional methods, enable the repair and retention of all broken glass. It is very important, if breakage occurs, to collect and store all of the broken glass fragments which can be repaired or replicated if incomplete. SGO

13. Above. Prior lead repairs are replaced by a virtually invisible copper foil repair method and missing detail is repainted. Top. An example of replication painting.

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Location of the Windows When visiting churches to admire and enjoy the artifacts and history, it is important to always leave behind a donation towards the ongoing upkeep of the place as this can be a heavy burden on small communities. The windows featured in this magazine can be found at the following locations. Cover. St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Camperdown. Ward and Hughes, London. Frontispiece. Christchurch Anglican Church, Geelong. Christian Waller, Melbourne. 1. Sacred Heart College, Newtown. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 2 . St. George’s Anglican Church, Queenscliff. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 3. St. Mary’s Anglican Church, North Melbourne. Smyrk and Rogers, Melbourne. 4. St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church, Violet Town. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 5. Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Kew. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 6. Former St. Giles’ Presbyterian Church, Geelong. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 7. St. John’s Church Anglican, Sorrento. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 8. St. George’s Anglican Church, Queenscliff. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne. 9. St. John’s Catholic Church, Clifton Hill. John Hardman & Co. Birmingham. 10. Sherbrooke Historical Society, Belgrave. Geoffrey Wallace Stained Glass, Melbourne. 11. St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Melton. Geoffrey Wallace Stained Glass, Melbourne. 12. St. Michael’s Independant Church, Collins Street, Melbourne. Brooks Robinson, Melbourne. 13. State Library of Victoria, Swanston Street, Melbourne. Ferguson and Urie, Melbourne.

About Geoffrey Wallace Stained Glass Our many years of experience can assist you in the maintenance of your historic stained glass windows with advice and planning on conservation issues and by providing strategies for a staged or total conservation programme. Geoffrey is an acknowledged leader in the field of stained glass conservation and has consulted for churches, cathedrals and public buildings across Victoria. The studio has amassed training and experience in all aspects of window conservation and traditional stained glass techniques and our expertise lies in the field of hands on conservation. Our skilled artisans are also expert at creating new windows using traditional techniques, materials and traditional design styles and we enthusiastically follow in the foot steps of the master craftsmen of years gone by. If you have concerns about the windows under your care or are interested in commissioning a memorial window please feel free to contact us at your convenience.

web site: www.gwsg.com.au

email: [email protected]