Antique Stained Glass Windows

One of the most beautiful additions you could make to your period home is with antique stainedglass. Although beautiful stained glass pieces are commonly found in churches and other religious buildings, antique stain glass and leaded glass is also commonly found in vintage homes. Antique stainedglass may be used in windows or skylights, and panels of it can be hung as a decorative element from windows or used in and around doors.
Antique stainedglass panels are made of small-cut pieces of colored glass that are held together by lead strips and supported in a frame. The glass is carefully arranged to form unique and intricate patterns. Leaded glass uses lead instead of the traditional calcium in its composition, and the result is a very brilliant glass that reflects light very well. Leaded glass is what certain types of crystal is made from.

Antique stainglass windows come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Square and rectangular shapes are common, but stained glass pieces are also available in round and oval shapes as well. Antique stained glass panels may be used to adorn the upper portion of ribbon windows, which are often featured in Prairie, Craftsman and Modernistic-style homes. Antique leaded stained glass was also popular in use with Victorian-era architecture, including the Queen Anne style. In this type of home the glass might be featured in smaller panes surrounding a large pane of glass, or a patterned piece could be placed over a blank lower pane of glass.