DOI Artikel:
Aman, Cornelia: Middle Ages and nineteenth century: the significance of historical interventions in the documentation of and research on stained glass – a short working report from CVMA Potsdam
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51154#0104
Folia Historiae Artium
Seria Nowa, t. 17: 2019/PL ISSN 0071-6723
CORNELIA AMAN
Corpus Vitrearum Germany, Potsdam
MIDDLE AGES AND NINETEENTH CENTURY.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HISTORICAL
INTERVENTIONS IN THE DOCUMENTATION
OF AND RESEARCH ON STAINED GLASS - A SHORT
WORKING REPORT FROM CVMA POTSDAM
Research on medieval stained glass is linked in various ways
to that on nineteenth and early twentieth century glazing.
This report takes a cursory look at the activities of the Cor-
pus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) Potsdam, regarding
research and documentation of nineteenth and early twen-
tieth century stained glass. It also looks at some issues on
stained glass supplements from that time that relate to the
currently ongoing studies. The aim is to illustrate the im-
portance of detailed examinations of nineteenth and twen-
tieth century stained glass that were made as supplements
to or in combination with medieval stained glass. Such re-
search provides a solid foundation for the interpretation of
medieval stained glass that has undergone restoration, as
well as a better understanding of the artistic and techno-
logical procedures carried out by stained glass workshops
in the eras of romanticism and historicism.
In the 1990s, heavy losses of nineteenth and early twen-
tieth century glasses as a result of neglect and extensive
mechanical and environmental damage motivated the
CVMA Arbeitsstelle in Potsdam to embark on documen-
tation and research in this field. The exhibition Glasmale-
rei des 19. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland presented at Erfurt
(1993/1994)1 was followed by an inventory project start-
ing in 1999, targeting the remaining ecclesiastical stained
glass of the period 1800 to 1914 in Berlin, Brandenburg,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-An-
halt and Thuringia.2 The aim was not only to register all
1 Glasmalerei des 19. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland, exh. cat., Anger-
museum Erfurt 23.09.1993 -27.02.1994, Leipzig, 1993.
2 The project was initiated by Erhard Drachenberg, then head of
the CVMA Arbeitsstelle in Potsdam, and continued from 2002
remaining stained glass of the referenced period, but in
so doing, to also foster awareness of the significance of
the glazing, in terms of technique and artistic relevance,
as integral parts of church interiors, as crucial elements
of ecclesiastical iconographie programmes, as important
cultural and liturgie testimonies, and as important sour-
ces of local history. The underlying philosophy was that
the registration of the glazing units and the given infor-
mation about their contexts may bring them back to the
awareness of communities, parishes, architects, art histo-
rians and conservators, and thus contribute to their pro-
tection. The project was funded by the Ostdeutsche Spar-
kassenstiftung, which supports regional cultural projects,
with a particular focus on the survey and preservation
of cultural heritage. Thanks to this sponsorship, and, in
the case of the Thuringia volume, in cooperation with
the Thüringisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und
Archäologie (Thuringian Office for the Preservation of
Historic Monuments) and the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung
Hessen-Thüringen, five inventories were published in the
years 2001 to 2006.3 Altogether 2477 glazing units are
documented in the catalogues. The descriptions are short,
including relevant information about the architectural
and historical context, dates, benefactors or donors, mod-
els, techniques, iconography, inscriptions, restorations
until its completion in 2006 under the direction of Frank Martin.
Die Glasmalereien des 19. Jahrhunderts. Die Kirchen, vols 1-5,
Leipzig, 2001-2006: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (R. Kuhl,
2001), Sachsen-Anhalt (C. Aman, 2003), Berlin, Brandenburg
(A. Klauke and F. Martin, 2003), Sachsen (A. Hörig, 2004),
Thüringen (F. Bornschein, U. Gassmann, 2006).
Publikacja jest udostępniona na licencji Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL).
Seria Nowa, t. 17: 2019/PL ISSN 0071-6723
CORNELIA AMAN
Corpus Vitrearum Germany, Potsdam
MIDDLE AGES AND NINETEENTH CENTURY.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HISTORICAL
INTERVENTIONS IN THE DOCUMENTATION
OF AND RESEARCH ON STAINED GLASS - A SHORT
WORKING REPORT FROM CVMA POTSDAM
Research on medieval stained glass is linked in various ways
to that on nineteenth and early twentieth century glazing.
This report takes a cursory look at the activities of the Cor-
pus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) Potsdam, regarding
research and documentation of nineteenth and early twen-
tieth century stained glass. It also looks at some issues on
stained glass supplements from that time that relate to the
currently ongoing studies. The aim is to illustrate the im-
portance of detailed examinations of nineteenth and twen-
tieth century stained glass that were made as supplements
to or in combination with medieval stained glass. Such re-
search provides a solid foundation for the interpretation of
medieval stained glass that has undergone restoration, as
well as a better understanding of the artistic and techno-
logical procedures carried out by stained glass workshops
in the eras of romanticism and historicism.
In the 1990s, heavy losses of nineteenth and early twen-
tieth century glasses as a result of neglect and extensive
mechanical and environmental damage motivated the
CVMA Arbeitsstelle in Potsdam to embark on documen-
tation and research in this field. The exhibition Glasmale-
rei des 19. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland presented at Erfurt
(1993/1994)1 was followed by an inventory project start-
ing in 1999, targeting the remaining ecclesiastical stained
glass of the period 1800 to 1914 in Berlin, Brandenburg,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-An-
halt and Thuringia.2 The aim was not only to register all
1 Glasmalerei des 19. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland, exh. cat., Anger-
museum Erfurt 23.09.1993 -27.02.1994, Leipzig, 1993.
2 The project was initiated by Erhard Drachenberg, then head of
the CVMA Arbeitsstelle in Potsdam, and continued from 2002
remaining stained glass of the referenced period, but in
so doing, to also foster awareness of the significance of
the glazing, in terms of technique and artistic relevance,
as integral parts of church interiors, as crucial elements
of ecclesiastical iconographie programmes, as important
cultural and liturgie testimonies, and as important sour-
ces of local history. The underlying philosophy was that
the registration of the glazing units and the given infor-
mation about their contexts may bring them back to the
awareness of communities, parishes, architects, art histo-
rians and conservators, and thus contribute to their pro-
tection. The project was funded by the Ostdeutsche Spar-
kassenstiftung, which supports regional cultural projects,
with a particular focus on the survey and preservation
of cultural heritage. Thanks to this sponsorship, and, in
the case of the Thuringia volume, in cooperation with
the Thüringisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und
Archäologie (Thuringian Office for the Preservation of
Historic Monuments) and the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung
Hessen-Thüringen, five inventories were published in the
years 2001 to 2006.3 Altogether 2477 glazing units are
documented in the catalogues. The descriptions are short,
including relevant information about the architectural
and historical context, dates, benefactors or donors, mod-
els, techniques, iconography, inscriptions, restorations
until its completion in 2006 under the direction of Frank Martin.
Die Glasmalereien des 19. Jahrhunderts. Die Kirchen, vols 1-5,
Leipzig, 2001-2006: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (R. Kuhl,
2001), Sachsen-Anhalt (C. Aman, 2003), Berlin, Brandenburg
(A. Klauke and F. Martin, 2003), Sachsen (A. Hörig, 2004),
Thüringen (F. Bornschein, U. Gassmann, 2006).
Publikacja jest udostępniona na licencji Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL).