Art & Design
Stained Glass Art Quiz
Medieval cathedrals to Tiffany lamps — the luminous art of colored glass.
Medieval cathedrals to Tiffany lamps — the luminous art of colored glass.
The famous 'Chartres blue' seen in the cathedral's 176 medieval windows has never been successfully replicated — the exact recipe for the cobalt-rich glass was lost centuries ago. From ancient Egyptian glass beads to Gerhard Richter's pixelated masterpiece in Cologne Cathedral, stained glass has captivated humanity for millennia. This quiz covers the history, techniques, and iconic works of this luminous art form.
Each round presents 10 randomized multiple-choice questions drawn from a pool of 50, so every playthrough is different. You get instant feedback with explanations after each answer, plus a shareable score at the end.
You'll explore the origins of stained glass in ancient Rome and early Christian churches, the Gothic masterpieces of Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle, the chemistry behind colored glass, Louis Comfort Tiffany's revolutionary techniques, and modern glass art from Chagall to Chihuly.
Stained glass is made by adding metallic oxides to molten glass — cobalt for blue, gold chloride for red, iron oxide for green, and manganese for purple. The colored glass is cut to shape, painted with vitreous paint for details, fired in a kiln, then assembled using H-shaped lead strips called 'came' and soldered together.
The rose windows of Notre-Dame de Paris and the 176 windows of Chartres Cathedral are often considered the most famous stained glass in the world. Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, built in 1248 with 1,113 panels covering 75% of its walls, is frequently called the finest 'jewel box' of medieval glass art.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) developed the iconic Tiffany lamp using his copper foil technique, which replaced traditional lead came with thin copper strips wrapped around each glass piece. His studio produced over 5,000 lampshade designs, with Clara Driscoll — whose role as head designer was only rediscovered in 2006 — creating many of the most famous designs including the Wisteria lamp.
Last updated: April 2026