STAINED GLASS
 
The earliest stained glass in Britain dates from Saxon times, but almost none has survived. The coming of the Normans saw the inflow of French craftsmen, and some of the greatest examples of their work can be seen in English cathedrals. Almost all stained glass at this early period was in religious buildings. In Norfolk there is no known Norman glass, but Norwich stained glass of the period 1250 - 1500 can be seen in many churches. It is often fragmentary: the cultural and religious revolutions of the late 1500's and the Cromwellian period saw widespread destruction. In fact it is a wonder so much has survived. The dispersal of church art meant that some found its way to private houses and collections. In many East Anglian homes such fragments can be found, not only of English glass but of foreign glass imported at an early date. Both Blickling and Felbrigg Halls have good examples.
 
Stained glass might better be called painted glass, since the designs were largely carried out by glass painters using a brush. Some colours, particularly red, green and blue are within the glass, part of the manufacturing process using different metallic compounds to colour the material. The technique of staining is simply part of the painter's work.
 
For many years small fragments of early glass (pre-1600) could be bought relatively cheaply. Even an exquisite Norwich School angel's head of around 1400 could be acquired for two or three hundred pounds. Nowadays this early stained glass is better appreciated. At the same time Victorian glass is now held in higher regard, and fragments of this later work are often much sought after.
 
Included in Horners June Antique and Collectors' auction were some pieces from a C19th window. In the form of Renaissance columns they have great decorative appeal. They were part of a varied and interesting auction, which included an extensive collection of jewellery and items of gold, with over twenty-five sovereigns. It is sometimes said that stained glass is like jewels in a window. At this auction both sorts of gems were offered.