Tiffany Exhibit at MoBiA Remembered

In writing about the exhibition of alabasters from the Victoria & Albert Museum currently showing at the Museum of Biblical Art (MoBiA), I was reminded of the exhibition of religious works by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios that I saw there in January, 2013.  Tiffany Studios made work in stone, fresco, metal, wood and glass for a wide variety of religious organizations.  By 1889, demand for Tiffany's religious work was so great that a separate Ecclesiastical Division was created solely to produce works on religious subjects.

The MoBiA exhibition consisted of decorative objects in all of the Studio's mediums, but the windows were clearly the stars -- carefully backlit and placed at levels where they could be appreciated.

'Sir Galahad', Memorial Window for Odgen Cryder (aged 18)
from St. Andrew's Dune Church, Southhampton, NY, circa 1910, photo by McClure

This memorial window was donated to St. Andrew's Dune Church in Southhampton, NY by the parents of Ogden Cryder.  Although Sir Galahad was not a 'Christian' figure in the strictest sense, but as a Knight of the Roundtable he was imbued with purity and nobility by the pre-Raphaelite movement of the late 19th century.  Therefore, Galahad was a worthy subject for commemorating a young man who died at only 18.

'Salve Regina', window from chapel of Stony Wold Sanitorium for Women,
Lake Kushaqua, NY, circa 1910, photo by McClure

This window depicts the madonna enthroned in heaven with the regalia of royalty (crown, orb and sceptre).  It is extracted from the larger and more elaborate full-length design by Frederick Wilson of Tiffany shown below that was also displayed in the exhibition and shows how Tiffany Studios was able to adapt its designs to meet the needs of its clients.
  

Copyrighted design for the full-length 'Virgin Enthroned' by Frederick Wilson
for Tiffany Studios, photo by McClure

The round window was placed high on the wall (hence the distortion to an oval in the photo) as it would have been seen in the gable of the small chapel of the sanitorium for women and children suffering from tuberculosis.

'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory', Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This very large memorial window depicts five angels escorting a 'righteous soul' into heaven to receive the crown of glory. The symmetrical composition and shading from dark (at the bottom and sides) to light (at the top center) emphasize the religious concept it illustrates -- souls moving from the darkness of earth to the glory of heaven.

Detail of the top of 'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory',
Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This photo shows the radiance emanating from the central cross shading out into the wings and robes of the surrounding angels.

Detail of the cross in 'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory',
Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This photo taken from an oblique angle shows the three dimensional glass 'gems' on the cross which act as prisms to concentrate the light and achieve its brilliance in relation to the surrounding opaque glass.

Detail of the angel on the lower left in 'The Righteous Shall Receive a Crown of Glory',
Brainard Memorial Window for Methodist Church,
Waterville, NY, circa 1901, design by Frederick Wilson, photo by McClure

This photo shows the wonderful details of the angels feathered wings, draped robes, and jeweled ornaments.  The colors are varied and rich.  The Tiffany Studio developed and perfected the use of opalescent glass including 'streaky' glass that was carefully selected for use as feathers and drapery as well as many other elements of the windows. Colors were achieved by adding chemicals to the glass as it was being made. Glass painting was used sparingly -- primarily for faces, hands and feet.

'Lydia Entertaining Christ and the Apostles', design attributed to Edward P. Sperry,
Griffin Memorial Window for Centennial Baptist Church, Chicago, IL, before 1910,
photo by McClure

While not one of my favorite designs in the exhibition, this window clearly shows the use of opalescent 'drapery' glass for the figures' robes, and 'streaky' glass for the stones they walk on and even the foliage in the background.  By the way, it turns out that Tiffany Studios mislabeled this window.  The bible never mentions a meeting between Lydia and Christ -- she did encounter the apostle, Paul, and his followers, however, which is what this scene represents. 

'The Soldier of the Lord' from the collection of Richard H. Driehaus, Chicago, IL, circa 1900,
photo by McClure

This window show how carefully selected opalescent glass was used to create the effect of reflections on shiny armor and stormy clouds in the sky.  The processes of creating and selecting the sheets of glass for each position in the composition was meticulous and painstaking.

'Vine Covered Cross', the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass,
Long Island City, NY, after 1900, photo by McClure

This window shows a more naturalistic tendency in Tiffany Studio designs with the cross all but hidden by the vines. The depiction of nature is what we normally associate with Tiffany glass.

'Altar Cross' of silver-plated brass, enamel & glass
from Christ Church Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY, 1916,
photo by McClure

These pieces from the altar furniture created by Tiffany Studios to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Christ Church Cobble Hill in 1916.  They are based on medieval and Renaissance precedents.

'Vase' of silver-plated brass, enamel & glass
from Christ Church Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY, 1916,
photo by McClure

The vase is one of a pair that resemble chalices used in Renaissance religious services.  These pieces were part of the complete redesign of the church interior by Tiffany and are still in use in liturgical services there in the present day.

The centerpiece of the exhibition was a baptismal font.

'Baptismal Font', Memorial to George Bradley and Emma Pendelton Bradley,
marble and glass mosaic, from Christ Church, Pomfret, CT, 1908, photo by McClure

The font was a memorial gift from a wife and mother whose husband and child had died within 18 months of each other. The base is composed of inlaid favrile glass in a medieval style found in churches in England and Italy.

Detail of base of 'Baptismal Font', Memorial to George Bradley and Emma Pendelton Bradley,
marble and glass mosaic, Christ Church, Pomfret, CT, 1908, photo by McClure

This MoBiA exhibit was a great pleasure because the objects were carefully selected and beautifully displayed.  MoBiA is always nice for a visit, because it is off the usual museum track, never very crowded and small enough so that exhibitions can be appreciated at leisure.

'Object of Devotion' Exhibition at MoBiA

'Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum' (March 07–June 08, 2014) at MoBiA (Museum of Biblical Art) is the most recent exhibition that I've seen at this small jewel box museum on Broadway & 61st Street.  I had seen a beautiful exhibition of windows and religious objects created by Tiffany there about a year ago.  

The exhibition is free.  Coat and bag check is available at the reception desk just outside the glass doors to the gallery. Photography is not permitted in this exhibition (so I've used photos from MoBiA's internet site).

This exhibition of small alabaster sculptures on loan from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is installed with great care in a single large gallery.  None of the sculptures is more than about 12"-to-15" wide by 18"-to-25" tall.  They were all created between about 1390 and 1534 A.D.  In 1534, Henry VIII's rubber stamp parliament passed the final decree making the king of England the supreme head of the Church of England.  That lead to the confiscation of the monasteries and the sacking of many major religious objects of art.  The devotional panels on display at MoBiA are probably from private homes, most of modest means, where they had been commissioned for devotional purposes.  Most would have been secreted during the English Reformation to prevent their destruction and to keep the owners safe from persecution.

'The Holy Trinity', alabaster with pigment, circa 1400 A.D.,
courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

This is one of three examples of 'The Holy Trinity' in the exhibition.  In this one, the hands of God and the top of the cross (where the dove representing the Holy Ghost would have been perched) have been destroyed.  Nonetheless, it is a lovely example of Medieval carving in alabaster with exceptionally fine depiction of the drapery on both figures. The composition is formal and symmetrical as in much Medieval art.

'Resurrection of Christ', alabaster with pigment, circa 1400 to 1420 A.D.,
courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

This piece shows Christ climbing out of the tomb, stepping on one of the sleeping Roman soldiers as he departs.  There is a striking contrast between the dynamic figure of Christ in forceful motion and the rest of the figures in repose.  It is almost like a panel in an action hero comic book.

  

'The Harrowing of Hell', alabaster with pigment, circa 1440-1470 A.D.,
courtesy of The Victoria & Albert Museum

'The Harrowing of Hell' depicts Christ's descent into hell to bring salvation to the souls held captive there until his resurrection.  The jaws of hell open wide on the left as a large figure of Christ on the right guides Adam, Eve, John the Baptist (in the first row), and others out of purgatory.  As with many Medieval compositions the size of the figures denotes their importance in Christian mythology with Christ shown nearly twice the height of Adam.

'Coronation of the Virgin', alabaster with pigment, circa 1450 to 1500 A.D.
Courtesy of Victoria & Albert Museum

In this panel the coronation of the central Virgin is administered by the Holy Trinity as two seated angel musicians provide accompaniment.  Note the carver's skill in modelling the figures hands and the drapery of their robes and the symmetrical composition. 

'The Head of Saint John the Baptist', alabaster with gilt and pigment, circa 1470 to 1500 A.D.,
courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum

According to the Christian story, after Salome danced for Herod, she persuaded him to reward her with the head of John the Baptist on a silver charger.  Here, the head of the Baptist is presented on an inscribed dish supported by two kneeling angels and surrounded by (clockwise from bottom left) the Virgin and Child, Saint Peter (with his key and bible), two angels with a cloth and baby symbolizing John's soul departing for heaven, Saint Thomas Becket (with his bishop's staff) and Saint Catherine (with her wheel and sword).  A lamb (representing Christ) kneels at the bottom center.

Most of these alabaster panels are crowded, often with figures of Christian saints and martyrs, but also with symbols like the dove and the lamb.  These were all important in the iconography of Medieval religion.  As shown in this exhibition, their depiction required great artistry from the anonymous carvers who created them.