The Goan Windows as wall decor

September 19, 2020

Though I was born and brought up in a city, as a child it was customary for me to visit both my ancestral homes in Goa during the two month-long summer vacation; a month at my paternal house at Cansaulim (South Goa) and the other at my maternal house at Marcela (North Goa)

Thereupon began the journey of accumulating innumerable memories of the good old times when Goans lived together as a joint family.

Both these 150+ year old Goan homes, with their massive staircases, huge stained glass and oyster shell windows never failed to amaze me.

All the experiences, stories and memories of my childhood visits to my ancestral homes subconsciously drove me towards this beautiful journey of reviving old Goan items and antiques to be used for modern day utility.

Moreover, being an architect and an interior designer was a big blessing which helped me carry forward a dream, very close to my heart.

My paternal ancestral house - Cansaulim, Goa.

Happy to add one such item to my gallery 👇🏻

THE GOAN WINDOWS

The 450 yrs + stained glass windows at The Menezes Braganza Mansion, Chandor.

For the web:

Stained glass windows were first used by well-to-do Romans in their homes in the First Century, A.D. Early examples of stained glass windows can also be found in some palaces and mosques of the Middle East. In Jarrow, England at St. Paul’s Monastery, some of the oldest pieces of a stained glass window dating back from 686 AD were found; the earliest stained glass piece presenting a picture is a face of Christ from the 10th century, discovered at the Lorsch Abbey in Germany.

The stained glass windows that we are familiar with today did not come about until the 10th century, with the construction of Gothic cathedrals. A good example of Gothic stained glass windows are those of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which holds one of the largest rose shaped windows in the world.

Between the Renaissance and the mid-19th century, stained glass windows fell from favour. This was largely due to changes in the religious norms of the time – the church had been the supporter of the arts, and the new Protestants did not believe in fancy art work and decoration. By 1640, stained glass was rare and only small panels featuring heraldry were used for homes and city halls.

It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the interest in Gothic style was revived all over Europe and the United States. Artists sought to recreate the lost technique of medieval stained glass windows.

In the past thirty years, interest in stained glass windows has been revived. Select fine art programs within colleges and universities teach the art of making stained glass and many individual artists have flourished. Stained glass making is also a very popular hobby.

We have made an attempt to revive the Goan windows by presenting the them in many ways:

a) L: As Wall Art or Wall decor (Crafted wooden windows painted in different shades with full mirrors or stained glass and mirror/frosted glass)

b) M: (wood and glass look-alike) as a Goan souvenir.

c) S: Framed against typical colours of old Goan homes.

d) Paintings: by our associate artist.

e) Shell windows: of varied pattern and sizes created from broken pieces of shells from a personal collection. ( A very limited edition )

We have replaced the original transparent glass inside the shutters with mirrors, for aesthetic appeal against any wall.

The most commonly used colours for the wooden framework were blue, yellow, green and brown and the glasses were in colours of red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and many a times just frosted or transparent.

New introduction - (Gifts | Souvenirs | Wall-decor)

The Goan windows in metallic look, framed against the backdrop of typical exterior colour used in old Goan houses with a white frame to reflect the commonly used white coloured bands, sundar-pattis, balusters etc against the coloured backdrop.

Let these Goan windows remind us and keep us connected to our illustrious past!