French Gothic stained glass windows
Okay, so imagine you’re looking at a big window in a super old and fancy building, like a church or a castle. But instead of just being clear glass, it has really pretty colors and designs all over it, like a picture made out of glass. That’s a stained glass window!
Now when we talk about “French Gothic” stained glass windows, we’re talking about a specific type of stained glass that was made in France during a certain time period.
First, let’s talk about Gothic architecture. That just means a certain style of building that was popular in Europe during the Middle Ages (a really long time ago!). Gothic buildings had lots of big, tall arches and lots of decoration, like ribbed vaults and intricate carvings.
So, French Gothic stained glass windows were made to fit in this kind of building. They’re usually really colorful and tall, stretching all the way from the floor up to the ceiling. They also often have patterns that look like they’re made out of stone or metal, like flowers or geometric shapes.
To make the glass colorful, artisans would add metal oxides (like copper or iron) to the glass when it was being made. This would give the glass a tint, like blue or red or green. Then they would cut the glass into all the shapes they needed to make the picture, and fit them together like a puzzle with little strips of metal (usually lead) holding them in place.
Finally, the designs on French Gothic stained glass windows often told stories from the Bible or showed symbols that had special meanings in Christianity. So not only were they beautiful, they were informative too!
Overall, French Gothic stained glass windows are a really special kind of art and architecture that tell us a lot about what people believed and valued during a certain time in history.
Now when we talk about “French Gothic” stained glass windows, we’re talking about a specific type of stained glass that was made in France during a certain time period.
First, let’s talk about Gothic architecture. That just means a certain style of building that was popular in Europe during the Middle Ages (a really long time ago!). Gothic buildings had lots of big, tall arches and lots of decoration, like ribbed vaults and intricate carvings.
So, French Gothic stained glass windows were made to fit in this kind of building. They’re usually really colorful and tall, stretching all the way from the floor up to the ceiling. They also often have patterns that look like they’re made out of stone or metal, like flowers or geometric shapes.
To make the glass colorful, artisans would add metal oxides (like copper or iron) to the glass when it was being made. This would give the glass a tint, like blue or red or green. Then they would cut the glass into all the shapes they needed to make the picture, and fit them together like a puzzle with little strips of metal (usually lead) holding them in place.
Finally, the designs on French Gothic stained glass windows often told stories from the Bible or showed symbols that had special meanings in Christianity. So not only were they beautiful, they were informative too!
Overall, French Gothic stained glass windows are a really special kind of art and architecture that tell us a lot about what people believed and valued during a certain time in history.