Renaissance Window Fashions

Wealth was displayed by the number of glass windows.

The Renaissance period of European history lasted from about 1400 to about 1650. The Italian word "renaissance" means rebirth or reawakening, an apt description of the period. Window fashions of this time followed the resurgence of interest in the architecture of the classic periods of Rome and Greece. Classic motifs and colors were used throughout the period. Three main centers of Renaissance, each with its own style of window fashions existed: the Italian, from 1400 to 1600; the French, from 1580 to 1650; and the English, from 1550 to1650.

Glass and Window Size

During most of the Renaissance, glass was extremely expensive to produce, and architecture favored windows made of many small panes of glass to accommodate this. Window makers joined glass with lead to connect the colored pieces of stained glass or wood mullions to create less artistic windows. Only the churches and wealthy landowners were able to afford glass, and it was not found on every window. Usually only the front windows of structures used glass, the rest were shuttered, but glass windows often had shutters as well. Windows, either glass or shuttered, were small throughout the buildings, and the function of the window coverings was primarily to provide protection from the elements. The common people did not, typically, have the money for window fashions; shutters were the most common covering.

The Italian Renaissance

The Italian penchant for excellence in wood handling manifests itself in the rich carvings of wood pelmets and valances of this period. Full-length drapes, of dark jewel-toned colors, puddling on the floor were the norm. Italian-made fabric of rich velvets and tapestries complimented the highly embellished wood components. Trims, tassels and embroidery on the fabric added to the decorative opulence of the window coverings.

The French Renaissance

The French Renaissance period was much more decorative than the Italian. The wood pelmets and valances of the Italian style were upholstered in fabric of an expanded color palette and draped with trim. The outlines of the valances were much more intricate than the Italian. The lighter-weight fabrics produced in France were used in layers for greater insulation, and the drapes remained full length with substantial puddling. French trim was the epitome of opulence and was used unsparingly on the window coverings of the wealthy.

The English Renaissance

The English came to the Renaissance late, and the period lasted a shorter time than it did in France and Italy. England lacked the wealth of the rest of Europe, the climate was more severe, and the style of English window treatments was, therefore, much more utilitarian. Colors were more subdued; the English did not possess the dyeing and milling skills of the continent's fabric masters. Window fashions, usually made of heavy wool fabric, were often as simple as fabric hung on wood rods by loops of leather. Pelmets and valances were rare; fabric was expensive and, therefore, layers were kept to a minimum. The reign of Elizabeth I, late in the English Renaissance, brought fabrics from India. The English took to the colors, light-weight fabrics and prints exceedingly well and developed a love of floral patterns. This created the Age of Embroidery; window fashion fabric was embroidered and often over-embroidered -- layer on layer, a style that remains today. At the end of the period, the English window fashions rivaled the French for opulence.

References

• Renaissance Spell: Renaissance Architecture
• Old and Sold: Interior Decorating - The Renaissance
• South London Box Sash Windows: The History of Window Glass Manufacture

Resources

• "Interior Textiles: Fabrics, Applications, & Historical Styles"; Karla J. Nielson; 2007
• DWConline: It's a Classic
• Essential Humanities: Renaisance Architecture
• "Window Treatments"; Karla J Nielson; 1990