François CAPRONNIER and his son Jean-Baptiste played a leading role in bringing back to the forefront an art neglected in Europe for more than a century. 

Indeed, at the beginning of the 19the century, the state of neglect for that art was such that some had to replace the glassworks damaged or missing parts by oil paintings. 

Around 1830, François CAPRONNIER, who was formerly attached to the Sèvres factory, settled in Brussels (Schaerbeek) where, with the help of his son Jean-Baptiste, he fruitfully conducted the research, re-establishing the art of glass painting in our country, where it had so well shined for past centuries. 

As soon as 1828, the result of his effots was already rewardeb by a patent about glass painting awarded by Guillaume 1st. 

From 1840, Jean-Baptiste CAPRONNIER took over the direction of the workshop founded by his father. From then on, it showed a considerable expansion in Belgium, England and throughout Europe. He made a very large number of stainedglass works for public and private buildings outside our frontiers. Several cathedrals and churches, listed on the art registry, are yet today proudly displaying staineglass decorations from CAPRONNIER's workshop. 

Specialists of 19th century staineglass art regard Jean-Baptiste CAPRONNIER's as the uncontested greatest Belgian stainedglass restoration workshop. 

CAPRONNIER surrounded himself with valuable collaborators for the realization of stainedglass cartoons. Namely: Charles DE GROUX, Constantin MEUNIER, François-Joseph NAVEZ and many others. 

The artistic and stylistic qualitiy of the drawings produced by them is remarkable. Jean-Baptiste CAPRONNIER, himself, drew some of the cartoons prior to the stainedglass manufacturing. 

He passed away in 1891 at the age of 77. 

A public auction of his possessions xas organized and the Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Royal Museum of Art and History) bought part of the drawings and cartoons produced by the renowned shop. The remaining, and most important, part was taken over by Jules-Adrien CAPRONNIER associated to François-Ambroise COMERE. He continued the work of his father until 1910. At that time, the WYBO brothers (Camille and Arthur) bought the CAPRONNIER workshop yet enjoying a considerable international fame. 

The archives of the CAPRONNIER workshop were later on bought successively by various taintedglass painters. The last one was family COPPE in 1970. One can find, yet today, number of examples of CAPRONNIER's work in Belgium, in England as well as abroad.       

Bibliographie: Levy-Capronnier, Histoire de la peinture sur verre en Europe et spécialement en Belgique 1860. O'Kelly A, Notice sur la peinture sur verre en Europe, Paris 1859. Benezit E., Dictionnaire des peintres, 1976 Paris. De Seyn E., Dictionnaire biographique, des sciences, des lettres et des arts en Belgique. Brussel, 1935. Catalogue de la collection de cartons de vitraux peints de la succession de J.B. Capronnier à Bruxelles 1892. Vente  J.B. Capronnier, Livres anciens et modernes, vitraux peints, etc., Bruxelles 1892.Ivo Bakelants., De glasschilderkunst in België in de negentiende en twintigste eeuw, deel C., Deurne 1992. Charles DeGroux et le réalisme en Belgique. Crédit communal - Bruxelles 1995.