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Department of History of Art
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Stained Glass Studies

Stained glass has been a key research area for York art historians since the University was established.

Our research is highly collaborative; we have a number of national and international partnerships with scholars and organisations. We work closely with the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, the Stained Glass Museum at Ely, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, York Glaziers Trust and York Minster.

We also offer an MA in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management.

CVMA

Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) is an international project dedicated to recording medieval stained glass.

York is home to the British Corpus Vitrearum, which allows us to create and sustain international research networks.

Stained glass in York

The city of York and its surroundings offer unparalleled resources for the study of stained glass, including:

  • The Minster and city churches, which contain the largest collection of medieval glass in Britain.
  • Magnificent examples of later periods throughout the region.
  • Leading national conservation studios located in and around the city.

People

Staff
Research students

Current Students

  • Sarah Kemp
    The influence of trade, textiles, and patronage on the early portraiture of Thomas Gainsborough from his Ipswich period.

  • Sarah Lear
    Designs in coloured light’: The religious stained glass iconographies of Karl Parsons (1884-1934)

Past Students

  • Oliver Fearon 
    • Glittering Beasts: The Patronage and Craft Culture of Heraldic Stained Glass in England c.1300-1540 (AHRC funded CDA)
  • Katharine Harrison 
    • Illuminating Narrative: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of the fifteenth-century St Cuthbert Window at York Minster
  • Veronica Smith 
    • Forgotten Glassworlds: Secular stained and decorative glass of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
  • Catherine Spirit 
    • Antiquarianism, Fragmentation and Ornament: Continental Stained Glass in East Anglia c.1800-1845
Research degrees
Push the boundaries of knowledge in our supportive and stimulating environment.
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MA degrees
Study our specialist Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management Masters course.
Explore our course