The stained glass figure windows were produced in Munich, Germany, at the Royal Bavarian Art Institute at a cost of $27,672 -a major expenditure for that time. Compared with today's dollar value it would cost almost $538,000. According to experts, the windows in the Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church are some of the best period "Munich style" stained glass in the United States.
Munich Style Stained Glass were produced in the Royal Bavarian Stained Glass Manufactory, Munich, in the mid-19th century. This glassworks was established by King Ludwig I in 1827, and continued to produce glass of high quality well into the early 20th century, under the guidance of F.X. Zettler. Together with his major' competitor, Franz Mayer of the Royal Art Institute, these stained-glass artists developed the so-called "Munich style" of expert painting on relatively large glass panels (as opposed to the medieval technique of smaller pieces of colored glass held in a leaded framework, later adapted and modified by the great American designer L.C. Tiffany). Around 1862 the Franz Mayer of Munich company started with stained glass paintings influenced by "Royal Bavarian Stained Glass Establishment". Their tendency was to create a picture like composition similar to late gothic paintings and renaissance altars. The paintings were detailed. The style by Mayer and Zettler became known as "Munich Style" and went back to the traditional roots. Small colored glass pieces were coated with overlay color, tracing lines and melting colors before being fired and leaded. The work by Peter Hemel v. Andlau or Hans Holbein the Elder set the standard for Mayer and Zettler and became the base of their work. |
