The art of stained glass is an art with a long history.
In the beginning, stained glass was used only by the church, but the admiration
and the awe it caused, made it very popular in private and public buildings.
In this study two stained glasses from private houses are analyzed.
Except its long history, other characteristics of stained glass are the complexity of its
construction, the variety of materials involved and the skills needed for its
manufacture.
For all these reasons it was essential that the study should start with a section
about the history of stained glass, followed by a reference to the two main structural
materials : glass and lead.
The third section refers to the techniques of stained glass construction, the
materials and tools required.
In the next chapter damage procedures and corrosion of the materials are being
analyzed as well as ways of treatment. Some of these forms of corrosion are
located in the two stained glasses.
Finally chapters 5 and 6 refer to the work of conservation of these two objects.
Due to the different problems these objects encounter, they are considered as two
different case studies. The first stained glass has structural problems with lead
alteration, loss of glass and external impurities. The second stained glass has glass
paint, partly deteriorated, as well as breakages causing further damage.
For the conservation of the objects the appropriate conservation and restoration
methods were chosen. These include analysis of materials, cleaning, repairing of the
lead matrix, mending breaks, consolidation of fragile paint and recreation of missing
details.