Grisaille in Historical Written Sources

Abstract

Grisaille is one of the oldest and most widely used vitreous paints applied in the production of stained glass panels. This article presents an overview of the written sources on glass technology, with a focus on grisaille recipes, to understand the evolution of this paint throughout the centuries. The authors consulted 46 written sources, 21 of which included grisaille recipes, dating from the 10th (Eraclius manuscript) to 19th (Georges Bontemps, Guide du verrier, 1868) centuries.