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Stained, or Luster–Painted Glass from Islamic Lands

• 
  Bowl, late 10th–early 11th century
  Probably Egypt
  Bluish colorless glass, free-blown and stained; tooled on the pontil; yellow and brown copper and silver stains; H. 4 1/4 in. (10.7 cm), Max. Diam. 6 in. (15.3 cm)
  Inscription (in kufic script): thus far not deciphered
  Purchase, Rogers Fund and Gifts of Richard S. Perkins, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Seley, Walter D. Binger, Margaret Mushekian, Mrs. Mildred T. Keally, Hess Foundation, Mehdi Mahboubian and Mr. and Mrs. Bruce J. Westcott, 1974 (1974.74)
  

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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.

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.

Related

Cited Works of Art or Images (4)

• 
• 
• 
• 

Timelines (3)

• Egypt, 1–500 a.d.
• Egypt, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Egypt, 500–1000 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (7)

• 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

Other Thematic Essays (5)

• List of Rulers of the Islamic World
• Stained Glass in Medieval Europe
• The Art of the Nasrid Period (1232–1492)
• The Damascus Room
• West Asia: Between Tradition and Modernity

Maps (1)

• World, 500-1000 A.D.

Index Terms (5)

Geography/Place

• Islamic World

Material and Technique

• Glass from West Asia
• Pot–metal
• Stained Glass

Subject Matter/Theme

• Islam

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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.



Stefano Carboni Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Qamar Adamjee Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Carboni, Stefano and Qamar Adamjee. "Stained, or Luster-Painted Glass from Islamic Lands". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/slpg/hd_slpg.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Carboni, Stefano "Glass Production in the Fatimid Lands and Beyond." In L'Égypte fatimide, son art et son histoire, edited by Marianne Barrucand, pp. 169–77.. Paris: Presses de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne, 1999. Carboni, Stefano "Stained ('Luster-Painted') Glass." In Glass from Islamic Lands: The al-Sabah Collection, pp. 51–69. . New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001. Carboni, Stefano, and David Whitehouse Glass of the Sultans. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Jenkins, Marilyn "Islamic Glass: A Brief History." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 44, no. 2 (Autumn, 1986). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF Lukens, Marie G. "Medieval Islamic Glass." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 23, no. 6 (February, 1965). . JSTOR | PDF