Stained Glass and the Mainstream: Reframing the Medium in Art History
Session will present: On locationThis session explores stained glass and contemporaneous arts of the Early Modern to Modern era in Germany, Switzerland, the Low Countries, and the United States. The first paper by Virginia Raguin focuses on early print culture and images and texts shared in single sheets, emblem books, printed Bibles, and paintings. The second paper by Margot Steurbaut demonstrates how the visual language and Baroque monumentality of Peter Paul Rubens were successfully replicated in stained glass. The last paper, by Fatema Tasmia, addresses the influence of Louis Comfort Tiffany in shaping taste and building social identity.
This panel challenges the disciplinary and curatorial silos that have long separated artistic media. It invites a broader understanding of how art functions across media, spaces, and audiences, indeed a goal of many studies today. The session also aims to spark renewed interest in stained glass and foster conversations about its deep engagement with contemporaneous styles. As the case studies will show, stained glass was far from marginal—it played a vital role in shaping visual culture and civic identity, often in dialogue with more widely studied media.
Keywords:
Geographic Area: United States of America
Geographic Area: Western and Central Europe
Medium: Intermedia
Stained Glass
Topics: Multidisciplinary
