John Piper (1903 to 1992) was already established as a painter and printmaker when, in the 1950s, he began designing stained glass. Over about thirty years he produced more than sixty commissions, mostly for churches in England, and his work with the glass painter Patrick Reyntiens is among the best-known twentieth-century glass in Britain.
Piper and Reyntiens
Patrick Reyntiens (1925 to 2021) studied fine art at Edinburgh College of Art and trained as an apprentice to Eddie Nuttgens before meeting Piper. Piper designed and Reyntiens made, although they worked together closely rather than in a strict chain of command. The partnership lasted about thirty years and, between them, they reshaped British stained glass after the Second World War, with loose, painterly designs in bold colour in place of Victorian pastiche.
Main commissions
- Oundle School Chapel (1954 to 1956). Piper’s first completed public stained glass commission.
- Coventry Cathedral baptistery window (1958 to 1962). Widely considered the masterpiece of both men.
- Eton College Chapel (1959 to 1964). Eight windows showing the miracles and parables of Christ.
- Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (1965 to 1967). The largest single commission they undertook together.
What to look for
The designs are abstract or semi-abstract, built from broad areas of saturated colour, with the lines of the glass painting looking like brushwork. Reyntiens became known for layering and painting glass to build up depth of colour. Compare this with the flat geometric pattern of Frank Lloyd Wright and the detailed work of Harry Clarke. For context, see ecclesiastical stained glass and conservation and restoration.
More artists
Also on this site: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Comfort Tiffany, John La Farge, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, Harry Clarke, Marc Chagall. See all artists.
For the wider story, see Stained Glass from the Gothic Revival to the Twentieth Century and A Short History of Stained Glass.