It is with great satisfaction that I look back on the recent Corpus Vitrearum congress, where I attended both the art-historically oriented Colloquium and the technically oriented Forum for the conservation of historical stained-glass windows. The host country this time was Poland, and the organisers had put together a fascinating program of lectures and excursions.
The speakers came from North America, Latin America, and Europe. Within this group, the Benelux region was also well represented. In addition to my own lecture on the study and inventory of small-sized stained glass, the Colloquium also featured contributions from Gerard van de Garde and Isabelle Lecocq. They spoke, respectively, about the archaeological stained-glass find in Roermond and about Jean Helbig and the start of the Corpus Vitrearum in Belgium. At the Forum, we heard the story of the Mestdagh studio, presented by Katrien Mestdagh, and Margot Steurbaut’s presentation on practice-based research regarding glass painting.
There was also time for discussion. For instance, there was an interesting discussion regarding the digitisation of visual and archival material, in which two distinct viewpoints emerged. For alongside the proponents of full digitisation, dissenting voices were also heard. Their fear regarding the entire issue is sustainability, and more specifically, the guarantee that the files can still be read in the distant future without incurring major additional costs. In any case, it was a discussion to be continued.
The entire trip to Krakow was truly worthwhile because of the guided tours we took of Poland’s glass heritage. We went on excursions to the cities of Katowice and Gliwice, where we admired, among other things, the beautiful Art Deco stained-glass windows in the ‘Syndicate of the Steelworkers’. In Krakow itself, we attended the opening of the exhibition Rejected/Forgotten: The Krakow Cathedral Stained-Glass Windows in the Period of Historicism at the Archdiocesan Museum. Furthermore, we visited the Dominican Museum, St. Mary’s Church, and the Franciscan Church. Although it was the 13th time I visited Krakow, and also the 13th time I went to the Franciscan church, I once again stood in awe gazing at the magnificent stained-glass windows by Stanislaw Wyspianski (1869-1907). Besides the fact that they are all masterpieces of Art Nouveau, it remains incredible to see how excellently these ‘modern’ stained-glass windows are integrated into the Neo-Gothic church. In 1895, Wyspianski was still creating Neo-Gothic murals in the church, but his first stained-glass design — that of God the Father — broke with that style and dates already from 1897!
I am curious to see what beautiful things the next Corpus Vitrearum congress will have in store. It is already known that it will take place in Switzerland in 2028 under the theme of ‘mobility’.
Joost
