A Stained-Glass Window designed by the studio of
Franz Mayer & Co., Munich, Germany, represented by the studios of George L. Payne, Patterson, New Jersey, 1966,
for St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Charleston, South Carolina.
Photo: 16 February 2011.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Share Alike 3.0 United States licence.
Author: Cadetgray
(Wikimedia Commons)
unless stated otherwise.
Franz Mayer of Munich is a German Stained-Glass design and manufacturing company and a major exponent of the Munich Style of Stained-Glass, that has been active throughout most of the World for over 170 years.
The firm was popular during the Late-19th-Century and Early-20th-Century, and was the principal provider of Stained-Glass to the large Catholic Churches that were constructed throughout the World during that period.
Franz Mayer of Munich were Stained-Glass artists to the Holy See and, consequently, were popular with Catholic clients.[1]
Glass Craftsmen of Mayer & Co.
Available on YouTube
The business is nowadays managed by the fifth generation of the family and works in conjunction with artists around the World.
In 1847, Joseph Gabriel Mayer (1808 – 1883) Founded the Institute for Christian Art in Munich, to make ecclesiastical furnishings.[2]
Royal commissions for the Cologne and Regensburg Cathedrals drew Mayer to create a Stained-Glass department in 1860.
In 1865, a branch was opened in London, and, in 1888, in New York City.[3]
Saint Macartan’s Cathedral, Monaghan, Ireland.
Stained-Glass Window of Saint Patrick.
Created by Franz Mayer & Co., Munich.
Photo: 21 September 2013.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: Andreas F. Borchert.
This File is licensed under the
Share Alike 3.0 Germany licence.
Author: Andreas F. Borchert
(Wikimedia Commons)
“Stylistically, Mayer’s Windows tend to contain richly-coloured scenes bordered by architectural frames consisting of Pilasters, Columns, Architrave and elaborate Canopies.”[4]
It represents an æsthetic that was evidently prized in its time for its craftsmanship and opulence, as well as for its ability to engage the viewer emotionally and spiritually.[4]
Broadly speaking, the Munich Pictorial Style is Romantic and “owed much to the revival of Religious Painting – especially fresco painting in the tradition of the Italian Renaissance masters, especially Masaccio, Raphael, and Michelangelo – in Germany early in the 19th-Century.”[4]
Mayer’sche Hofkunstanstalt is one of the World’s
leading workshops for Glass Design and Mosaics.
Renowned artists such as Kiki Smith, Georg Baselitz, and
Vik Muniz, appreciate the 171-year-old Company in Munich
as a Craftsman’s studio, material “El Dorado”, and high-tech laboratory, for the realisation of their visions.
For the first time in its history, the Company is now
opening its doors with a selection of artistic works: While
the works created here were previously reserved for
their clients, they can now also be purchased on site
by interested private individuals.
Available on YouTube
“The studio often incorporated imagery from Great Master Paintings as well as compositions of the 19th-Century, a standard practice in public decorative work of the era.
“For example, a Window in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Charleston, South Carolina, shows the Transfiguration of Christ, modelled after the 1517 painting by Raphael in the Vatican.”[5]
In 1882, the Company was awarded the status of “Royal Bavarian Art Establishment” by King Ludwig II.
Installation of a Stained-Glass Rose Window in the
Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Knoxville, Tennessee. Window made by Franz Mayer of Munich.
Available on YouTube
In 1892, Pope Leo XIII named the Company a “Pontifical Institute of Christian Art“.[3]
“Munich Glass Windows could be imported as art, i.e., glass “paintings” and — exempt from a high tariff on imported “raw” glass . . . the broad æsthetic appeal, economic advantage, and Papal approval, made Munich Glass Windows the overwhelming choice among Catholics in the United States.”[6]
In 1919, the Company became a workshop for free artists such as Karl Knappe.
In 1919, the Company became a workshop for free artists such as Karl Knappe.
In 1922, the neighbouring properties on Seidlstraße, Munich, were purchased. The new building by the architect Theodor Fischer serves as today’s Company Headquarters.
Stained-Glass Window by Franz Mayer & Co. in the Choir Gallery, Saint Mary – Saint Catherine of Siena Parish, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Photo: 1996.
This File: 24 June 2008.
User: IDoThingsCorrect
Source: Own work.
Author: myself
(Wikimedia Commons)
In the years following 1933, the Mayer brothers successfully remained untangled with the affairs of the Nazi Party.
In 1939, the Companies Mayer and Zettler combined, but production ground to a halt in 1941.
In 1944, the Staff had decreased from an original 500 to fewer than twenty employees.
Rapid renovations followed the War. Many of Munich Stained-Glass Windows were restored by the Company, such as the Windows of the Munich Frauenkirche.
Rapid renovations followed the War. Many of Munich Stained-Glass Windows were restored by the Company, such as the Windows of the Munich Frauenkirche.
Mouth-blown Antique Stained-Glass Window
by Franz Mayer of Munich. Hand painted,
Stained-Glass according to template/style:
Mayer Archiv/ Munich Style, designed by Saskia Schultz.
Saint Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church,
Aiken, South Carolina.
Credit:
Saskia Schultz.
Saint Mary Help of Christians.
Architect: McCrery Architects.
Fotocredit:
McCrery Architects, Franz Mayer of Munich.
Illustration: MAYER ARCHIV/MUNICH STYLE
In 1961, Karl Knappe designed a mosaic for the Assumption of Mary Cathedral, Hiroshima.
In 1988, Gabriel Mayer Founded a new workshop in New York, with the focus on Public Art. From the 1990s, many projects with artist Brian Clarke were realised, in Rio de Janeiro, New York, and other locations.
In 2013, Gabriel Mayer pulled back from the Company’s management board. In 2016, he was awarded the Bavarian Culture Prize together with Charlotte Knobloch.[7]
In 1988, Gabriel Mayer Founded a new workshop in New York, with the focus on Public Art. From the 1990s, many projects with artist Brian Clarke were realised, in Rio de Janeiro, New York, and other locations.
In 2013, Gabriel Mayer pulled back from the Company’s management board. In 2016, he was awarded the Bavarian Culture Prize together with Charlotte Knobloch.[7]
Since 1994, Michael Mayer and Petra Wilma Mayer collaborated on Munich projects, such as the Herz-Jesu-Kirche (1996), Fünf Höfe (2001), and Path of Memory, Ohel Jakob synagogue (2005).
Saint Thomas Aquinas Church. Mouth-blown Antique Stained-Glass Window by Franz Mayer of Munich. Hand painted, Stained-Glass according to template/ style: Mayer Archiv/ Munich Style, designed by M. Maqsoodi.
Newman Center. Lincoln, Nebraska.
Credit:
Saint Thomas Aquinas Church;
Architect: McCrery Architects.
Fotocredit:
Elias Hassos.
Illustration: MAYER ARCHIV/MUNICH STYLE
Around the turn of the Millennium, Gabriel and Michael Mayer revived the Traditional Stained-Glass Munich/Mayer Style.
The Float Glass Department was newly-constructed. In 2014, the Company opened an Office in New York City.
In 2018, Petra Mayer Founded the Chamber of Wonders, featuring editions and selected pieces from a selection of Worldwide artist friends. In the same year, Franz Mayer of Munich realised a Mosaic for New York City’s Metro Station World Trade Center Station with the artist Ann Hamilton.
Mayer’s commissions include over seventy-six Cathedrals, twenty-six of them in the United States.
Mayer’s commissions include over seventy-six Cathedrals, twenty-six of them in the United States.
Schloss Drachenburg (1885).
Mouth-blown Antique Stained-Glass by
Franz Mayer of Munich. Hand painted, Stained-Glass.
Reconstruction since 2006. Königswinter, Germany.
Credit:
Schloss Drachenburg, NRW Stiftung.
Fotocredit:
Franz Mayer of Munich.
Illustration: MAYER ARCHIV/MUNICH STYLE
Along with Stained-Glass, about half of the Company’s work is in Mosaics.
In the ’50s and ’60s, Mayer developed their own Fibre-Glass mesh. Adhesives have also been developed to the Firm’s specifications. The Company provides installation and curatorial services.[8]
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