Munich-style Stained Glass - Characteristics and Features of The Munich Style

Characteristics and Features of The Munich Style

1. Reference to late gothic stained glass between 1450 and 1500; special reference to Peter Hemmel von Andlau, Hans Holbein the Elder – rather than referring to Nazarenes or Pre-Raphaelites
2. Musivic combined with painterly stained glass
3. Colourful stained glass; strong colours – rather than subdued colouring and clear glass in 19th Century British glass
4. Naturalistic and painstakingly exact figurative drawing
5. Balanced composition within the individual window opening
6. Perfectly worked out architectural framing design for each window
7. Excellence in design - Master painters, academic professors designed the composition and concentrated on the main figures and on most important elements of the art work; the assistants added the background figures, landscape, architecture; skilled helpers worked on less important areas. In the 2nd half of the 19th century the Munich Academy of Fine Arts was famous and historic, monumental and figurative painting played an important role; many of the professors and “masters” worked for Mayer and Zettler. Through the studio’s international relations and especially contacts with stained glass artists in England, the best British painters were added to the design teams. The individual design artist of the Mayer or Zettler windows in the late 19th or early 20th century normally worked anonymously. It was the Mayer and Zettler studio which entrusted the work to the artists and which stood for the art works. The studio meant teamwork from all design and fabrication aspects. Artistic stardom was not yet borne. Few very established and well-known artists were mentioned by name, for instance Moritz von Schwind, Claudius von Schraudolph, - sometimes – Martin Feuerstein or William Francis Dixon.
8. Selection and Repetition of best and most refined artistic Compositions - Both Joseph Gabriel and Franz Borgias Mayer were of deep faith and social understanding, with an admiration of medieval culture and yet fascination for the new industrial age. The best religious art works should be made affordable to as many church communities as possible. It was not the “originality” of the art work, which counted most, but the individual quality of design and execution! The most beautifully developed compositions of their own design teams set the standard and were often used as master-copies. Often only minor changes were made for the individual churches. It was more important that each church would receive the best possible and most beautifully executed windows, statues and altars.
9. Excellence in fabrication - The painting and drawing quality, and the luminosity, transparency and glassiness were of upmost importance at all Mayer and Zettler stained glass windows. Some 50% or more of the glass painting was erasing, rubbing and etching: “Painting” light or “painting” transparency. Specialization of artists and artisans became key elements of the studios practicing. Alone the stained glass painters specialized in human portraits, architecture, landscape, ornament etc. The glazier artisans specialized in groups that defined the lead-line compositions, prepared the patterns, selected the colours, cut the glass etc. All other steps of the work were also performed by specialists and experts in their field.
10. Both Mayer and Zettler defined the art work, organized the execution and marketed the “product”, i.e. the “Munich Style” stained glass window.
11. The studios also allowed space for individual artistic expressions and envelopments.