HAMPTON & BAYSIDE LEADLIGHT
Traditional Domestic leadlight
Art Deco originated in France featuring geometric designs, this movement was influenced by the Cubist art movement and Egyptian artwork found the tombs of Pharaohs around 1922. The rising sun motif is often utilised in Art Deco leadlight. The Art Deco movement formed as a reaction to the flowing ornate curvature of Art Nouveau. Art Deco is comparatively simple and symmetrical compared to Art Nouveau. The movement began to flourish internationally through the 1920s, 30s and 40s and came to an end in Australia after the Second World War. It was the last major architectural movement in Australia until the Federation revival in the 1990s. Leadlight in the style of Art Deco was heavily geared towards mass production, using predominately clear glass, often clear bevels and small focused highlights of colour if any at all.
Art Nouveau was most popular from 1890 to 1910, it sweep through Europe during this time. It was a reaction against Neo classicalism and Romanticism. The style of Art Nouveau had a broad reach across many fields; jewellery, furniture, textiles, interior design, architecture, graphic art, stained glass and glass art (in the form of lamps such as where made by the Tiffiany Glass Company).
The over riding feature of Art Nouveau is the organic flowing lines, often figurative in nature, depicting swans, peacocks, dragonflies. This style is epitomised by the work of Mucha in the curvaceous boarders and the lavish waves of fluid hair of his female figures.
The Art Nouveau movement was the main influence on Edwardian stained glass, with its curved flowing lines and floral motifs. In Victoria, Australia, this led to new Australian subject matter being incorporated into the designs. Flowing borders of gum leaves enclosed magpies, kookaburras and waratahs.
The Victoria Era of Architecture was influenced by middle eastern, Asian and Gothic architecture. It flourished in Victoria, Australia from the 1840 to 1890 because of a population boom caused by the gold rush during the 1880’s. Consequently some of the worlds best Victorian stained glass resides in Victoria. Tutor, Regency, Georgian, and Gothic are some of the stained glass styles that fall under the banner of the Victoria Era. They are distinctive in colour, design and in the texture of glass used. Geometric design is used to split the window into bordered segments, floral designs or hand painted plates of glass were used as a feature, and hand spun rondels (or rounds) and jewels were used to add an extra element of opulence. A common, simple victorian leadlight design is a grid split into squares of pale pinks, blue, green and yellow. Some times with a red flashed glass boarder.
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“The smoothest and easiest part of our renovation were the stained glass windows, we would definitely recommend (Hampton & Bayside Leadlight)”
- Catherine, Sandringham
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