Most of these pieces were originally housed in church windows and viewed from a great distance. A number of works commissioned by present-day artists are also housed in the museum, offering viewers a chance to see a unique blend of ancient and modern work. Pieces like Sergio de Castro's abstract Lucis Creator Optime were made in 1957. Various metal oxides are mixed with molten glass to create different colours, or coloured enamels are painted onto glass, heated and fused to the surface. The colour of the glass depends on the metal added to the molten glass.
Copper turns it ruby red, cobalt makes it blue and iron becomes green.
Once these pieces of coloured glass are formed, they are cut and held in place by a framework made of grooved lead strips called cames. These bits of glass are then made to form patterns or pictures in a window. On the museum's lower level, visitors can see for themselves the tools used to make stained glass. Off to one side, a man-size ceramic tub holds chunks of clear glass. Nearby is a huge backlit display housing hundreds of coloured pieces of stained glass, which shows the infinite range of hues available to the contemporary designer.