Corpus Vitrearum Switzerland: The Collection of Swiss Glass in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Part I)

The Ceramics collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, hold approximately 170 pieces of Swiss heraldic glass from purchases, bequests and donations made between 1863 and 1935. These are medium-format panels created between the 15th and 17th centuries in the principal centres for stained glass production in and around the Old Swiss Confederacy. Although studied selectively in the 20th century by stained glass historians such as Paul Ganz (1872–1954), Hans Lehmann (1861–1946), Paul Boesch (1882–1955) and later Jenny Schneider (1924–2004), this high-quality collection has not been the subject of a systematic research synthesis. In 2013, Rolf Hasler, former research associate at the Vitrocentre Romont, Sarah Keller and Uta Bergmann proposed to fill this gap. On this basis, Frédéric Hueber has now published a first selection of 75 stained glasses.

Project duration: 2020–2021