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Stained, or Luster-Painted Glass from Islamic Lands

Bowl [Probably Egypt]
Bowl

Bowl, 9th century
Egypt
The Corning Museum of Glass (99.1.1)
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drinking horn Drinking horn, 8th–9th century
Probably Egypt
The Corning Museum of Glass (69.1.4)
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cup

Cup, 8th century (perhaps 170 A.H./786–787 A.D.)
Syria (Damascus)
The Corning Museum of Glass (69.1.1)
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Painted glass objects were decorated with a brush or a pen once their final shape had been attained. After being painted, they were fired in a kiln at temperatures that permanently fixed the designs on the surface without compromising the object's shape.

Stained (or luster-painted) glass was produced in Egypt and Syria from the seventh through the ninth century. It was painted with pigments containing silver and/or copper and fired in a kiln at a low temperature. Glass thus treated cannot really be considered lustrous, because the pigment was "absorbed" beneath the surface through a chemical reaction and permanently colored—or stained—the glass, becoming part of its atomic structure.

Most stained objects are in pale-colored glass decorated in a monochrome brownish or yellowish pigment; there was a brief period when colored glass or colored decorative patterns were favored before the monochrome style regained its appeal. Silver-based paints first turn yellow, then progressively amber and deep brown; copper-based pigments quickly become red or ruby-colored, but their firing is difficult to control in a kiln (silver was often added for this reason). Yellow and orange stains can also be obtained from both silver and copper. By applying pigments to both sides of open-shaped vessels, glassmakers highlight details or outlines and exploit the transparent glass wall to create subtle shading effects. Proper control of firing time and temperature are critical to achieve the desired results; even today this aspect remains one of the most challenging in the production of stained glass.





Islamic World, Religious Art, Islam, Stained Glass, Glass, Glass, West Asia

Department of Islamic Art, Department of Islamic Art

Blown Glass from Islamic Lands, Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands, Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands, Glass from Islamic Lands, Glass with Mold Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands, Hot-Worked Glass from Islamic Lands, Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands, West Asia: Between Tradition and Modernity, Abridged List of Rulers: Islamic World,

Egypt, 1-500 A.D.,

West Asia, 500-1000 A.D.