| Reverse glass painting is the art of painting an image | | | | form. |
| on the reverse side of a piece of glass or glass | | | | In the early 19th century the art form spread to |
| object so that the image can be viewed from the | | | | other areas and appeared in the Middle East and |
| unpainted side. It has been done since early in the | | | | West Africa. Areas where Islam flourished produced |
| sixteenth century in Europe, and was known in China | | | | many reverse glass paintings. These paintings |
| during the early 18th century. | | | | depicted scenes from Old Testament stories, stories |
| This style of painting has been used for religious art, | | | | and quotations from the Qu'ran. |
| abstract art, clock faces, realistic landscapes, and | | | | The first documentation of reverse glass painting in |
| scenes with people and portraits. It is a very | | | | China is in the writings of some Jesuit missionaries |
| exacting art form, especially when done as a realistic | | | | stationed there in the middle of the 18th century. |
| painting. The image is actually painted in reverse order | | | | Some say that it was the missionaries themselves |
| on the glass. The finishing details of the painting must | | | | that introduced the art in China, but art historians |
| be put on the glass first, and must be done | | | | doubt that. The missionaries wrote about various art |
| accurately as this is immediately covered with the | | | | forms known in China when they arrived, and |
| next phase of the painting. So for a portrait reverse | | | | reverse glass painting was already being done in |
| glass painting, the pupil of the eye would be painted | | | | China upon their arrival. The exact time when the art |
| first, then the eye, and so on in reverse order, | | | | form reached China is not documented in any known |
| finishing with the background. When the glass is | | | | Chinese art history literature. There is evidence that |
| turned over, the actual intended image is viewed | | | | Chinese glass painting was never considered a serious |
| from the unpainted side. Unlike stained glass, these | | | | form of art by the Chinese themselves. Glass |
| paintings are meant to be mounted on a wall with | | | | paintings used in China were usually located in |
| light shown on them, instead of light going through | | | | restaurants or other public places and seldom in |
| them. | | | | homes of the Chinese themselves. Much of it was |
| As best as art historians can determine, reverse glass | | | | also done for sale to tourists and foreigners. |
| painting evolved in Austria, the Black Forest region, | | | | With the innovations of photography and forms of |
| and Romania in central Europe. And northern Spain, | | | | printing in the middle of the 19th century, glass |
| central and southern Italy in southern Europe. These | | | | painting began to decline. There has been a recent |
| paintings were generally created in small village family | | | | resurgence in the art form, and reverse glass |
| workshops, with fewer paintings produced by larger | | | | paintings are now being done in China, India and the |
| shops in large cities. Many of the images painted | | | | world over. |
| were of religious subjects in the beginning of the art | | | | |