The medieval stained glass in Catalonia: Girona cathedral

Abstract

The production and distribution of stained glass in Mediterranean Europe during the Middle Ages remains inadequately</p><p>understood. This article focuses on Catalonia, where local glass production is documented as early as the</p><p>13th century, but little is known about the production of window glass. This study analyses a collection of stained</p><p>glass fragments from Girona Cathedral, dating from the 13th to the 16th century, some of which is the work of</p><p>renowned master glassmakers. The data obtained is compared with contemporary stained glass documented</p><p>from other parts of Europe, and with a collection of 15th and 16th century archaeological window glass from</p><p>Barcelona. The data is also contrasted with historical documentation on glass production in Catalonia. The findings</p><p>reveal that the glass from Girona from the 13th and 14th centuries is of the potassium-lime type, similar to</p><p>that produced in the workshops of north-western France. By the late 14th and 15th centuries, the composition</p><p>aligns more closely with that of north-eastern France. In the 16th century, however, the glass changes to a sodalime</p><p>composition, similar to the glass found in Barcelona, suggesting a transition from central European to</p><p>Mediterranean sources, and indicates a change in the raw materials involving the use of soda-lime plant ash instead</p><p>of potassium-lime forest ash. These results indicate that the production of window glass shifted from France</p><p>to Barcelona at the close of the 15th century.