Stained glass was unknown in antiquity. Invented around AD 1000, it soon achieved a dominant position in the arts of the Middle Ages, not only in churches but also in secular contexts. Its innovation can be compared with that of television - and like television it involves passing light through a transparent layer, using the light of sun instead of light generated by electricity, so that in a real sense the stained glass image is in constant motion, as the light passing through it changes.

Stained glass was linked to all the graphic arts and the most skilled artisans made the drawings for the glassmaker. Even single heads can be masterpieces of draughtsmanship. This book presents a brilliant selection of stained glass now detached from its original location, featuring work related to some of the finest masters of the late Middle Ages, such as the Housebook Master or Domenico Ghirlandaio. All works are fully documented and their provenance traced where possible in an illustrated appendix.