The people whose imagination, skill and invention shaped decorative glass: painters of windows, cutters and engravers, designers, studios and the inventors who changed what glass could do. Each profile is researched from reliable sources, with every image properly licensed and every uncertain claim marked as uncertain. Shorter introductions to famous designers, from Charles Rennie Mackintosh to Louis Comfort Tiffany, follow the profiles.
Featured profile
Alf Webster: Glasgow’s Stained Glass Artist of 1910 to 1915
1883 to 1915 · Scotland · Stained and painted glassGlasgow artist who led Stephen Adam's studio from 1910 and filled Scottish churches with richly coloured glass before his death in 1915.
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Shorter introductions
Brief introductions to famous glass artists and designers, with the buildings where their glass can still be seen. Some of these will grow into full profiles over time.
IntroductionCharles Rennie MackintoshCharles Rennie Mackintosh: his life, the Mackintosh rose, his main buildings and what his leaded glass means for stained glass design.Read the introduction →
IntroductionEdward Burne-Jones and William MorrisBurne-Jones and Morris & Co: the Birmingham Cathedral windows and Victorian stained glass.Read the introduction →
IntroductionFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright’s leaded glass light screens: Martin House, Robie House, Coonley Playhouse and the Dana House.Read the introduction →- IntroductionHarry ClarkeHarry Clarke: the Irish stained glass artist behind the Honan Chapel and the Geneva Window.Read the introduction →
IntroductionJohn La FargeJohn La Farge: the painter who first used opalescent glass in windows.Read the introduction →
IntroductionJohn Piper and Patrick ReyntiensJohn Piper and Patrick Reyntiens: Coventry Cathedral, Eton, Oundle and Liverpool.Read the introduction →
IntroductionLouis Comfort TiffanyTiffany: opalescent glass, Favrile, the Tiffany lamp and the copper foil method.Read the introduction →
IntroductionMarc ChagallMarc Chagall’s stained glass: All Saints Tudeley, Reims, Chichester and Jerusalem.Read the introduction →
Keep exploring
Glass TypesThe techniques these artists used, from leaded lights and painted glass to acid etching and brilliant cutting.See the glass types →
Churches and CathedralsChurch and cathedral glass presented one building at a time, with photographs taken on site.See the churches →
Photo gallerySurviving work photographed and catalogued by place, period, motif and glass type.Open the gallery →
Glass GlossaryPlain explanations of the terms used in decorative glass.Open the glossary →
How the collection is produced
Each profile is the result of extensive historical research across several independent sources, including published histories, museum and heritage-body records and the surviving works themselves. Names, dates and attributions are checked against more than one source before they are stated, and where sources disagree, or a question remains open, the profile says so plainly. Images are used only where the licence allows, and each profile lists its image credits.