Some of the works which profess to teach the art of painting on glass,
contain directions for staining large windows in churches and halls;
others merely give the process of producing the more common paintings,
such as are carried about the streets for sale. These seem to have
been much in vogue about a century since, as all the “Young Artists’
Assistants” of that day contain the mode of painting them. They direct
us to fix a mezzotinto print upon the back of a sheet of glass, and to
remove the paper by wetting and rubbing, leaving the impression of the
print, which is afterwards to be painted in broadwashes, the ink of
the print giving the shadows. The picture being then turned over, the
glazed side becomes the front, and the colors first laid on, are, of
course, nearest the eye. This mode of painting resembles the style of
Grecian painting, that being painted from the back, and the shading is
the ink of the engraving.
The methods by which glass is stained are scientific; they require
some knowledge of chemistry, and such apparatus as must preclude the
practice of this branch of art as an amusement. It may be interesting,
however, to know something of the process. The glass being at first
colorless, a drawing is made upon it, and the painting is laid on
with mineral substances, the vehicle being a volatile oil, which soon
evaporates. The sheets of glass are then exposed to a powerful heat,
until they are so far melted that they receive the colors into their
own substances. Enamel painting is done on the same principle. This
is a time of great anxiety to the artist, as with all possible care
valuable paintings, both in glass and enamel, are frequently spoiled in
the proving, or vitrification. The art seems to have been lost during
several centuries; but it has of late been successfully revived; and
large windows have been executed for churches and Gothic halls, which
almost vie with the fine old specimens in the cathedrals in point of
color, while they far excel them in other respects.
The branch of the art which may be treated as an accomplishment, is
the decoration of glass, flower-stands, lamp-shades, and similar
articles, with light and elegant designs. Flowers, birds, butterflies,
and pleasing landscapes afford an extensive range of subjects, which
are suitable to this style of ornamental painting. The glasses may be
procured ready ground. The outline may be sketched in with a black lead
pencil; the lead can be washed off with a sponge when the colors are
dry. The whole of the colors employed must be transparent, and ground
in oil; opaque, or body colors, will not answer the purpose.
They may be purchased in small bladders, only requiring to be tempered
with fine copal or mastic varnish, and a very little nut oil, to be
ready for use. Blue is produced by Prussian blue; red, by scarlet or
crimson lake; yellow, by yellow lake or gamboge; green, by verdigris,
or mineral green, or a mixture of Prussian blue and gamboge; purple, by
a mixture of lake and Prussian blue; reddish brown, by burnt sienna;
and all the other tints may be obtained by combinations; for white,
or such parts as are required to be transparent, without color, the
varnish only should be employed. A very chaste and pleasing effect may
be produced by painting the whole design in varnish, without color.
It is an advantage to this style of painting that but few colors are
required; as from the nature of the subjects, and their purpose as
ornaments, brilliancy is more desirable than a nice gradation of tints.
The work must, of course, be carefully dried, but may afterwards be
cleaned with a sponge and cold water.