Sandrine Bauer & Matthias Rathmann

Stained glass maker

©Séverine Bauer

Guardian angels of glass

Sandrine took over her father’s studio in 2017
She later partnered with Matthias Rathmann
They specialise in restoring stained glass windows

Bauer & Rathmann studio reposes on an incredibly rich history dating back to 1891 when the stained glass studio was founded. Sandrine’s father Bernard Bauer took it over in 1974 and she remembers her early contact with glass as she often played there with her sister. Having worked alongside her father for 20 years until he retired, she now runs the studio with Matthias. Together, they work on new religious, allegorical and historical themes for public or private projects, as well as with artists. They also restore valuable stained glass windows from some of Luxembourg’s key historical churches and buildings. Both were awarded the art glazier master craftsman’s diploma and represent a younger generation of passionate stained glass guardian angels.

Interview

©Séverine Bauer

©Séverine Bauer

What do you love about stained glass?: Sandrine: The intricacy of cutting and assembling the glass pieces just like a puzzle and that no piece is alike. I love the transparency glass offers and the endless colours, shades and textures of glass sheets available to choose from, depending on the project.
How does restoration enrich your craft?: Matthias: When we renovate a piece we admire the work of the masters and try to understand the story being told. We always try to preserve the original parts and replace the damaged pieces as close to the original as possible.
Do you use modern tools in your work?: Matthias: We still use many old techniques without which our work would not be complete. However, we use modern microscopes to help secure the different layers of paint and create designs on the computer. This modern technology is certainly an advantage to us.
What is unknown about your craft?: Sandrine: People don’t realise all the time and steps needed to make a piece, from the drawing, to the real-sized model, cutting, painting, firing, assembling, glazing and soldering to secure the pieces in place. It is laborious but really worth it in the end.

Sandrine Bauer & Matthias Rathmann are expert artisans: they began their career in 2001