Stained glass started out as a domestic luxury for wealthy Romans to use in villas and palaces. Not much is known about this era except for a few remains found around Pompeii.

By the tenth century, depictions of Christ and biblical scenes became popular in what is now France and Germany. While decorative designs are popular in the area of modern day England. These glass windows were heavily influenced by the earlier Roman style. Designed to let in as much light as possible and usually relatively small with predominantly red and blue glass.

The Gothic period was a high point for these beautiful glass windows and was the catalyst behind the great cathedrals of Europe. Gothic architecture made churches taller and lighter, walls thinned and stained glass panels were used more frequently to fill increasingly larger spaces. The creation of the Rose Window at St Denis Cathedral in France overseen by Abbot Suger was a significant step for the Gothic style. This stained glass panel depicted a more elaborate Biblical narrative bringing the art form to a more artistic level. During the Gothic period stained glass experienced its greatest diversity in design, style, palette, and sentiment. This diversity along with technological advances brought the art to the height of its glory.

During the late Gothic period these glass art windows became more focused on the picture being depicted as opposed to the overall design. Artists began to get recognition and so artists as well as shops signed their work. Glass was being more and more painted to more realistically depict natural colors and to hide the lead lines that were necessary to hold the panel together. Increasingly colorful glass panels became signs of status for the new wealthy merchant class.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century religious unrest played a major toll on the decline and destruction of artistic stained glass. Calvinism and Reformation movements ended production and destroyed many pieces of stained glass art especially in England.

War and purposeful destruction of glass panels set up the rise of Renaissance styles, this was especially ushered in within the new cultural hub of Italy. Stained glass began to emulate art painted on canvas and with these new practices the Gothic period skills became a forgotten art. These panels were not as well received by consumers and thus stained glass panels did not come into vogue again until the ninteenth century.

Louis Comfort Tiffany began to experiment with glass, trying to get varied effects without painting as was done in the Renaissance era. He used his techniques to create jewelry, tiles, stained glass panels, lamps, and other various artistic glass pieces.