Our expertise
At the Atelier Simon-Marq we have been applying our ancestral expertise to the creation and restoration of stained glass for twelve generations.
Our two main areas of expertise are as follows:
Contemporary artworks
Simon-Marq’s heart beats for art. The studio created the stained glass windows designed by renowned twentieth-century artists such as Marc Chagall and Maria-Héléna Vieira da Silva, helping this religious art form to thrive in France and around the world.
Contemporary artworks
Simon-Marq’s heart beats for art. The studio created the stained glass windows designed by renowned twentieth-century artists such as Marc Chagall and Maria-Héléna Vieira da Silva, helping this religious art form to thrive in France and around the world.
Heritage conservation
For several generations, the Atelier Simon-Marq has carried out all types of conservation work in order to protect old stained-glass windows and show them off to their best advantage, while adhering strictly to traditional techniques.
Heritage conservation
For several generations, the Atelier Simon-Marq has carried out all types of conservation work in order to protect old stained-glass windows and show them off to their best advantage, while adhering strictly to traditional techniques.
lead cames
Creation with the artist
The “cames” are the lead rods that are arranged in a particular pattern and which hold the stained glass in place. Creating a pattern of cames for a stained glass artwork requires artistic sensitivity and technical skill in order to remain faithful to the artist’s intentions while taking mechanical constraints into account. The lattice of cames is like an artwork in its own right, based on enlargements of the original drawing on the scale of the stained-glass window itself.
Creation with the artist
The “cames” are the lead rods that are arranged in a particular pattern and which hold the stained glass in place. Creating a pattern of cames for a stained glass artwork requires artistic sensitivity and technical skill in order to remain faithful to the artist’s intentions while taking mechanical constraints into account. The lattice of cames is like an artwork in its own right, based on enlargements of the original drawing on the scale of the stained-glass window itself.
Rubbing
Rubbing is a technique that provides a full-size representation of the lead cames. A rubbing is usually made by placing a piece of thin paper over the stained-glass panel and rubbing it with a block of waxy or dry material so that the pattern of cames appears on the paper. Much care must be taken so as not to damage the stained glass. This work is necessary to keep a permanent record of a stained-glass panel or as part of a restoration project.
Rubbing
Rubbing is a technique that provides a full-size representation of the lead cames. A rubbing is usually made by placing a piece of thin paper over the stained-glass panel and rubbing it with a block of waxy or dry material so that the pattern of cames appears on the paper. Much care must be taken so as not to damage the stained glass. This work is necessary to keep a permanent record of a stained-glass panel or as part of a restoration project.
Selecting the glass
Choosing colours
We mostly work with hand-blown glass made traditionally at the Saint-Just glassworks near Saint-Etienne. The shimmering colours of each piece of glass are intense and unique, and we work with a range of over 1,100 different shades. Selecting just the right colours is essential to the success of each project.
Choosing colours
We mostly work with hand-blown glass made traditionally at the Saint-Just glassworks near Saint-Etienne. The shimmering colours of each piece of glass are intense and unique, and we work with a range of over 1,100 different shades. Selecting just the right colours is essential to the success of each project.
Cutting
The pattern of lead cames is traced onto stiff paper. Each shape is cut out with three-bladed scissors which substract the width of the came. The shapes then serve as templates for cutting out the glass by hand using a tungsten cutting wheel.
Cutting
The pattern of lead cames is traced onto stiff paper. Each shape is cut out with three-bladed scissors which substract the width of the came. The shapes then serve as templates for cutting out the glass by hand using a tungsten cutting wheel.
Treating the glass
Painting
Made from enamel or metal oxides, the paint and grisaille are applied to the glass before firing. They are used to pick out the shaded parts of a motif or drawing or to add subtle nuances of colour to the original hue of the glass.
Engraving
Used extensively by Marc Chagall and now a perfectly mastered skill, this process is a way of creating shading effects in a piece of glass. It is carried out on glass to which a layer of enamel has been added during the manufacturing process. This layer is partly removed by the engraver to create shading while retaining the transparency of the glass.
Sandblasting
Sandblasting involves projecting sand onto precise areas of glass, marked out with a stencil, at very high pressure. The layer of enamel on the glass is scrubbed off in these areas and the glass loses its transparency, leaving behind very precise patterns.
Assembly
Mounting and puttying
Since the Middles Ages, stained glass has been traditionally mounted in lead cames soldered together at each intersection. Putty—the Studio’s own recipe, a mixture of linseed, soot, chalk and a drying agent—is then applied to each panel, making it waterproof and rigid.
The Studio still uses the same tried and tested technique, which gives the stained glass panels an average lifespan of about 100 years.
Mounting and puttying
Since the Middles Ages, stained glass has been traditionally mounted in lead cames soldered together at each intersection. Putty—the Studio’s own recipe, a mixture of linseed, soot, chalk and a drying agent—is then applied to each panel, making it waterproof and rigid.
The Studio still uses the same tried and tested technique, which gives the stained glass panels an average lifespan of about 100 years.
Modern techniques
Nowadays, new artistic avenues can be explored thanks to techniques that do not make use of lead cames. Stained glass can be juxtaposed and glued onto mechanical glass, making it possible to produce very large pieces.
Pieces of stained glass can also be assembled using other materials such as brass, or by fusing them together.
Modern techniques
Nowadays, new artistic avenues can be explored thanks to techniques that do not make use of lead cames. Stained glass can be juxtaposed and glued onto mechanical glass, making it possible to produce very large pieces.
Pieces of stained glass can also be assembled using other materials such as brass, or by fusing them together.
On-site operations
Removing stained glass
We remove old stained glass and reinstall it once restoration work has been carried out in the studio.
Removing stained glass
We remove old stained glass and reinstall it once restoration work has been carried out in the studio.
Installing stained glass
Our Studio also installs stained glass in all types of buildings, including homes. We work with craftsmen skilled in other fields who make metal or wooden frames. A protective layer of glass with a simplified pattern of leading may also be installed.
Installing stained glass
Our Studio also installs stained glass in all types of buildings, including homes. We work with craftsmen skilled in other fields who make metal or wooden frames. A protective layer of glass with a simplified pattern of leading may also be installed.