Resolution 5/2022 of the Committee of Art Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences of April 20th, 2022:
Appeal for Derogation in Respect of proposed EU Regulations on the Use of Lead which would prevent stained glass artists and stained glass conservators from practicing their profession and thereby pose a threat to the future of our Stained Glass Patrimony [REACH Annex XIV, EC Number 231-100-4]
Lead, cast, milled or extruded into lead cames or strips, is an indispensable and intrinsic component in the fabrication and conservation of stained glass. Fixed at its intersections with solder, it creates a strong and long-lived matrix that supports coloured and painted glass. This is an art form with a thousand-year history, located in world famous heritage sites such as the cathedrals of Chartres, Notre Dame de Paris, Strasbourg (France), the cathedrals of Cologne, Naumburg (Germany), Brussels and Antwerp cathedrals (Belgium), Canterbury Cathedral and York Minster (United Kingdom), Leon and Girona Cathedrals (Spain), the National Cathedral, Washington DC (USA), St Mary Church, Krakow (Poland) and is among the greatest treasures of museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Metropolitan Museum (New York), the Schnuetgen Museum (Cologne) and the Burrell Collection (Glasgow) to name but a few. While leaded stained glass grew to cultural prominence in medieval Europe and enjoyed a massive revival in the nineteenth century, it is now practiced all over the world and has attracted modern artists of the international stature of Marc Chagall, Georges Braque, John Piper, Johannes Schreiter, Georg Meistermann, Brian Clarke and Narcissus Quagliata.
Its malleability, strength and sustainability over centuries means that its unique characteristics have remained irreplaceable as an integral part of stained glass manufacture. Without it the historic windows of our heritage sites and museums could not be repaired, conserved and preserved, making it indispensable to the continuance and preservation of this unique art form.
The toxicity of lead is well-understood and its risks to health are effectively managed by stained glass designers, fabricators and conservators all over the World. Regular blood testing, use of extraction and appropriate PPE ensures that the many thousands of people working in the profession do so safely and with minimal and well-mitigated risk.
We strongly urge the European Commission to exclude the use of lead in the fabrication and conservation of stained glass from its proposed ban. Not only would this ban wipe out the livelihoods of artists in glass, craftspeople involved in fabrication and conservators involved in the care of heritage assets in Europe, but its effects would be felt throughout the world, sealing the eventual death sentence of one of the most glorious art forms known to mankind.