Gothic Stained Glass

Timeline

1. c. 1200–1300Chartres · Centre-Val de LoireHigh Gothic cathedrals used colored glass in high windows to form biblical and saintly narrative systems; window programs at Chartres and elsewhere became visual theological encyclopedias, establishing stained glass's central place in Gothic architecture.
2. c. 1300–1380France · FranceSilver stain gave glass yellow tones, while grisaille expanded the glazed area for light; both techniques were widely combined after the mid-14th century, providing a new vocabulary for window design in the 1380s.
3. 1381–1390York · EnglandIn the 1380s English and French dioceses continued producing stained glass for new or renovated churches; window programs at York Minster and elsewhere reflect Late Gothic figure style and donor portrait traditions, with glaziers' workshops forming cross-regional collaborative networks.
4. c. 1400Europe · EuropeThe 15th-century International Gothic style made stained glass more delicate and realistic; despite damage from the Reformation and wars, restoration and neo-Gothic revival have carried the craft of Gothic stained glass to the present day.