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History & Theory of Stained Glass Conservation - HOA00042M

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  • Department: History of Art
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23

Module aims

Students will explore the following:

  • recognition and description of historic conservation techniques, work with historic sources (e.g., account books, contracts);
  • early copying conservation technologies (medieval, Early Modern), conservation theory and practical exercises
  • developments in the Reformation and Enlightenment periods (new types of glass and painting methods), conservation theory and practical exercises
  • The rediscovery of the past: the Gothic revival from the eighteenth century, theoretical groundwork and practical exercises
  • Industrialization: glass production during the nineteenth century, theoretical groundwork and practical exercises
  • The preservation idea: the protection of traditional art treasures ca. 1900 and in the early twentieth century, theoretical groundwork and practical exercises
  • Synthetic resin is the thing: conservation technology from 1950-1970 - problems and opportunities, theoretical groundwork and practical exercises
  • modern conservation theory and the decisive position papers (the Venice Charter, Guidelines for the Conservation of Glass Painting, etc.).

Module learning outcomes

Upon completion of this module, students should have acquired:

  • an informed and critical understanding of historic approaches to the conservation of glass painting, and be conversant with a wide range of primary and secondary sources
  • practiced familiarity with the essentials of contemporary glass conservation, along with its fundamental texts
  • skill in recognising historic and modern conservation techniques, as well as the ability to reproduce them
  • integrated knowledge of a variety of perspectives, methodologies and approaches in modern stained glass conservation.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Students receive copies of examiners comments as soon as marks have been ratified by the External Examiner.

Indicative reading

*Nicole Blondel, Le Vitrail: Vocabulaire tyologique et technique, (Paris, 1993)

*Boulanger, Karine and H©rold, Michel (eds.), Le Vitrail et les Trait©s du Moyen ges nos Jours, CVMA International Colloquium, Tours, 2006, (Bern 2008), with chapters in English, French and German

*Brown, Sarah and Strobl, Sebastian, A Fragile Inheritance. The Care of Stained Glass and Historic Glazing. A Handbook for Custodians (London, 2002)

*Brown, Sarah and O Connor, David, Medieval Craftsmen: Glass-Painters (London, 1991)

*Corpus Vitrearum News Letter 48: Le vitrail comme un tout (Bulletin de liaison hors-s©rie section fran§aise de lICOMOS, Paris, 2001)

Corpus Vitrearum, Guidelines for the Conservation and Restoration of Stained Glass, Second edition (Nuremberg, 2004; online at www.cvma.ac.uk/conserv/index.html )

Dehio, Georg and Riegl, Aloys, Konservieren, nicht restaurieren. Streitschriften zur Denkmalpflege um 1900, mit einem Kommentar von Marion Wohlleben und einem Nachwort von Georg M¶rsch, (Braunschweig, 1988)

*Lautier, Claudine and Sandron, Dany (eds), Anotine de Pise: LArt du Vitrail vers 1400 (Paris, 2008)

Oddy, Andrew, Restoration - is it acceptable? British Museum Occasional Paper 99 (London, 1994)

Pallot-Frossard, Isabelle (ed), Vitraux: Manuel de Conservation, Restauration et Cr©ation (Paris 2006). Pdf: www.cuture.gouv.fr/culture/organisation/dapa/pdf/mauel_vitrail.pdf

Plenderleith, Harold James, A History of Conservation, in Studies in Conservation, Vol. 43, Number 3, (1998): 129-39.

Rauch, Ivo, The Conservation and Restoration of Stained Glass: An Introduction to the Problems (2004), online at www.cvma.ac.uk/conserv/index.html )

*Shepherd, Mary B, Pilosi, Lisa and Strobl, Sebastian (eds), The Art of Collaboration. Stained Glass Conservation in the Twenty-First Century, CV United States of America Occasional Papers II (London/Turnhout 2010).

*Strobl, Sebastian, Glastechnik des Mittelalters (Stuttgart, 1990)



The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.