Specializing in Artifacts and Dug Relics
clifford@joshuasattic.com
610-917-1167

MODERN COLLECTIBLES & SUPPLIES

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Perhaps Stained Glass windows as an art form died out with all the Veterans of the Civil War. Perhaps not. While it was once a great and flourishing industry of artisans and craftsmen, the field now holds very few individuals who can take on much more than a pretty flowered lampshade kit! Quite frankly, it takes a tremendous amount of work and patience to accurately piece together and join a leaded window. There are many steps: creating a design, cutting the pattern pieces, tracing and cutting the glass, grinding each to an exact fit, and leading the whole of it together! Even framing the finished piece seems like too much work!!! But the end results can be breathtaking. And so, once understood and appreciated, stained glass art becomes addictive; particularly in its finer, artist-designed forms.

This beautiful method of expression can certainly be applied to the Civil War. Most modern collectors have had occasion to see those big, bold and beautiful windows from old GAR halls that still come on the market occasionally. Unfortunately, they're not enough GAR halls to go around nowadays! Also, the subject matter of their windows may not always "speak" to us in a personal way. I frankly don't need a window that says "GAR Post 142" in my house. And this is where the creation of modern stained glass collectibles can fill the void : as impressive objects of art that are totally appropriate to the period and complement our nearby collections. Now certainly, very few of us would want an entire door or skylight done in a Civil War motif!!! But, on a smaller scale, free hanging framed panels of roughly one to three feet can dramatically finish off the Collector's showroom. These can be hung by chains in front of an exterior window as people often do with old stained glass windows bought at flea markets. But custom pieces can also be designed to the exact size of someone's bookcases, transoms, or even exterior windows.

These windows are created by Cliff Catania, the owner of Joshua's Attic. It was a hobby that I'd mastered long before I became so intensely interested in the Civil War. But now, it can be applied with a little pomp!!! Two forms of custom stained glass are offered:
a) generic, or "common"scenes, such as cannon, flags, patriotic motifs, in small 1-2 foot sized panes; and
b) the Custom works which can range from any size to any subject. Imagine a hand-to-hand fight around a cannon in stained glass!!!

The Standard "common" scenes can be predicted in price. As time goes on, I will add samples of these pieces to the page below. Custom works must be discussed in advance.

But please be aware, they are for very "motivated" collectors, for as they get larger and more intricate, their cost could become great. None the less, some want the best and work hard to be able to own those things.

Regardless of what size or design one may choose, it's good to know that we're not yet forced to abandon this stunning form of Vintage Expression.

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