Stained-glass window panels were used extensively in churches throughout the Middle Ages to tell the stores of the Bible. Back then, populations were, by and large, illiterate. The church created these stained-glass displays to depict important lessons and scenes from Scripture. Of course, stained-glass also served to decorate and deify places of worship.

For centuries, stained-glass windows were made in a conventional, handblown process. Thicknesses depended on the metallic salts employed in the glass mixture and the temperature of baking. Textures abounded. Stained-glass was made wavy, pebbled, rough, and smooth. The gorgeous, inimitable colorations found in stained-glass are the result of impurities intentionally left in the glass to refract light of various wavelengths.

During World War II, churches throughout Europe were destroyed by the widespread violence. After the fighting stopped, a great reconstruction effort began. Modern designers, such as the German phenom, Ludwig Shaffrath, advanced stained-glass window panel reconstruction efforts and helped spur a massive revival of this so-called dead art.

If you look closely at old stained-glass window panels from the Renaissance Era, you might notice that the bottoms are wider than the tops. This is because glass is technically a very viscous liquid. Over the centuries, glass actually flows down to the base of the window. Stained-glass restoration and coloration requires diligence and patience. Florida State University is one of the few universities in the world to offer an advanced program in stained-glass window panel making.