Stefano Carboni
Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Qamar Adamjee
Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
October 2002
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.
Citation
Carboni, Stefano, and Qamar Adamjee. “Stained (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. See on MetPublications
Additional Essays by Stefano Carboni
- Carboni, Stefano. “Venice and the Islamic World: Commercial Exchange, Diplomacy, and Religious Difference.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Islamic Art and Culture: The Venetian Perspective.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Venice and the Islamic World, 828–1797.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Venice’s Principal Muslim Trading Partners: The Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the Safavids.” (March 2007)
- Carboni, Stefano. “A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings).” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Folios from the Jami‘ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles).” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Takht-i Sulaiman and Tilework in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Blown Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Legacy of Genghis Khan.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Carboni, Stefano. “Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Additional Essays by Qamar Adamjee
- Adamjee, Qamar. “A New Visual Language Transmitted Across Asia.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Courtly Art of the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Folios from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings).” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Folios from the Jami‘ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles).” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Takht-i Sulaiman and Tilework in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Art of the Book in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Blown Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Legacy of Genghis Khan.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Mongolian Tent in the Ilkhanid Period.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Enameled and Gilded Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids.” (October 2003)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
- Adamjee, Qamar. “Mosaic Glass from Islamic Lands.” (October 2002)
Related Essays
- 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
- The Art of the Nasrid Period (1232–1492)
- Blown Glass from Islamic Lands
- Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands
- The Damascus Room
- Glass Ornaments in Late Antiquity and Early Islam (ca. 500–1000)
- Stained Glass in Medieval Europe
- West Asia: Between Tradition and Modernity