“…in 1878, when in the course of a libel suit he had brought against a critic, the painter James McNeill Whistler was challenged to justify the high price of his work. When asked by opposing counsel whether he really charged purchasers of his paintings the large sum of 200 guineas for the labor of just two days, Whistler replied, “No, I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime.” (Whistler 1922, p. 5).

- David W. Galenson (2010) Understanding Creativity, Journal of Applied Economics, Vol XIII, No. 2, 351-362.

Stained Glass or leadlights are not charged in same manner as “art”. Nor are most artworks priced such as Whistler’s. In fact the hourly rate of artist’s and artisan’s is generally very poor. Stained Glass is priced either by the square meter or by the piece. Piece rates are difficult to manage in terms of quotation as they require design to be complete before a final price can be established and of course designing is a considerable component of the work.

Stained Glass and leadlight is a labour intensive craft with very little of the process having changed in a thousand years. There simply is no machine that can produce stained glass.

To put this craft along side it’s modern (and arguably less skilled) counter parts - it is not unusual to pay over $200 per hour to have a glazier complete a job. Anyone who has hired any trade will be aware of these sorts of rates, which for the record are not unjustified in the costs of running modern businesses. Many stained glass studio’s are charging less then $40 an hour for their toils. Simply market driven I’m affraid and eventually few studio’s will remain and even fewer professional artisan’s. Less business costs many studio’s in fact subsidise their work rather than take a wage.