Have you ever walked past beauty that continuously goes unnoticed? If so, know that attention towards beauty was not what was required, rather awareness of how to access such to appear beautiful was the issue. Afterall in order to recognize such divinity, one must see it in a certain light. With certain proponents of beauty like my selected object, a stained glass window depicting Saint Paul Preaching to two other figures at Athens, the preceding sentence is quite literal. I walked to Avery Hall every morning at the beginning of the Columbia University’s Introduction to Architecture program, passing by Saint Paul’s Chapel and not even noticing the rainbow gems on its facades. Until one day after contemplating changing my past object to the current, the chapel’s doors were wide open as I hurried through the chapel’s front yard. Then, there it was – the stained glass window. Rays shone through the jewels illuminating the space and evoking a sense of reverence for myself and even for the light itself as it bent to the will of the fenestration. After my experiences and research regarding my object of choice, the allure of the window’s glow through a historical, technical, and environmental lens revealed to me Manhattan’s essence. A lack of stillness can oftentimes lead to the moving and missing of beauty until we are able to view it in the right light.

Let’s travel back to around 2700 BC to Ancient Egypt – the era where the Egyptians made the first objects that were made of colored glass. Their invention is said to have given inspiration to the earliest developments of stained glass windows in Rome during the 1st century AD, in Jarrow, England at Saint Paul’s Monastery during the 7th century, and in Southwest Asia during the 8th century.

Although the Great Pyramids were not constructed until after the 2700 BC, (and probably the invention of the first stained glass), I chose to render St. Paul Preaching at Athens within a pyramid, highlighting the obscure contributions of the Egyptians to the development of stained glass windows. Now, the story behind the Saint Paul preaching is that he was upset when he found himself in Athens surrounded by idols, and thus, he decided to go to the synagogue and the Agora several times to preach about the Resurrection of Jesus. He was even taken to the high court in Athens, the Areopagus, to explain why he was preaching the gospel. Besides, the methodology to produce a stained glass window is to first draw out a blueprint on a board of some kind. Artisans would then take sand and potash, mixing the two minerals at 3000 degrees Fahrenheit.

In terms of coloring the glass, constructors would take metallic oxide powders to produce different colors, and more particularly, gold creates a vivid cranberry, cobalt produces blues, silver makes golds and yellows whereas copper makes brick red and greens. While the glass is still pliable after being heated, the sheets are flattened and set on top of the blueprint. The artisan then proceeds to cut the glass into the pieces required by the window design, finished by a grozing tool (which is a type of plier tool). 3 The details of the stained glass were occasionally included with a particular paint that was made with iron filings and ground glass suspended in wine, which aided in defining designs and block light. A silver stain compound is painted on the backs of the glass, giving the glass the name “stained” glass. After the glass is painted, it is then placed into the kiln for 750 to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, and then, it is fitted into cames, which are H-shaped strips of lead, and an iron frame. These are the essential steps of producing stained glass.

As for the environmental implications of my object, stained glass has the power of bringing a deep respect to a space by just the contrast of light that it generates when compared to just daylight or artificial light. Such a change in ambience once entering a space where stained glass is being employed is thus very noticeable. This is one of the reasons why the stained glass window is most known for being found in spiritual spaces like a church or mosque, for its ability to delineate the gravity of the divine. However, this grandeur is not able to be experienced until one is able to find themselves in an environment where it is able to be accessed. This just showcases how dependent my object is on being viewed in the setting, and the lighting is what gives the observer the ability to experience stained glass fully. Now, stained glass can also be found in generally any building, but no matter what kind of space it has the ability to transform whatever space it is in into one of great splendor.

Personally, I believe anything can be seen in a beautiful manner depending on the context in which you look at it. This even applies to you and me.