Grades 3–5 · Arts & Music
How does a stained-glass window make a glowing picture?
A stained-glass window makes a picture from pieces of colored glass. Strips fitted around the pieces hold them together. The finished pattern can include large colored areas and finer details painted onto the glass.
In the diagramA window colors daylight passing through itdaylighttransmitted lightdark joining strips hold pieces togetherGlass changes incoming light rather than creating it.
Daylight from outside passes through the pieces. Different glass compositions absorb some parts of the light more strongly than others. The light that reaches the room therefore has different colors in different parts of the design.
The dark joining strips outline the pieces and become part of the picture. Their mechanical job and visual effect work together. A large scene is assembled from many smaller shapes whose edges fit a planned arrangement.
The window does not need to produce light of its own. Its appearance changes with the light falling through it and the observer’s position. When outside light fades, the same materials can look much less brilliant from inside.
About this explanation
Starting knowledge: Know that light can pass through glass and that some surfaces let different colors through differently.
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum — Stained glass: an introduction