Medieval & Modern Stained Glass in Austria

Since 2015, art historians in Austria have been documenting and studying the country’s stained glass collections not only from the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, but also from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The impulse for this extended focus was provided by the project “Corpus Vitrearum – Medieval and Modern Stained Glass in Austria”, one of eight projects awarded funding within the framework of the OeAW’s New Frontiers Research Groups Programme. This project has enabled researchers to continue work on medieval stained glass in Austria, based for many years at the OeAW, while extending the focus for the first time in history to include documentation of stained glass post-1800. Several important major works of this epoch (including, for instance, Franzensburg Castle in Laxenburg, Vienna-Breitensee Parish Church, and St. Mary’s Cathedral in Linz) have been examined from a variety of perspectives concerned with diverse questions rooted in the history of artist, politics, theology and technology. Work is currently underway on applications for third-party funding to ensure the continuation of the research.

This expansion of the focus from the Middle Ages to Modernity represents an innovative research initiative on the European level while also responding to current developments within the “International Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi” (CVMA). This scholarly undertaking in the study and publication of medieval stained glass works that remain largely unknown and neglected by the literature was founded in 1952. Involving Austrian participation at its inception, it was the first research project in art history on an international basis.

At the 26^th conference, hosted by the OeAW in Vienna in September 2012, the Austrian National Committee applied to expand the Corpus Vitrearum’s scholarly work on the international level to include stained glass collections produced after 1800. As a result, in 2014 all participating countries began to work on binding guidelines for the documentation and publication of these works. The guidelines were adopted at the international conference in Troyes in July 2016.