Radiance Rediscovered: Stained Glass by Tiffany and La Farge

Louis C. Tiffany, Angel of Resurrection (detail), 1899, stained glass window, Gift of Mount Vernon Congregational Church, 1975.99.1. Photo © Diane Rousseau / Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved

June 30, 2018 – December 1, 2019

This exhibition is centered on two sets of exquisite memorial windows created by Louis C. Tiffany and John La Farge, which have not been on view for more than 40 years. Originally commissioned for Boston's Mount Vernon Congregational Church in the late 1890's, the large stained-glass works were donated to WAM in 1975 when the church vacated its building. The year-long exhibition opens on June 30, 2018 with the windows by Tiffany installed in the Contemporary Gallery. The panels by La Farge, which require additional restoration, will join the Tiffany windows in late September 2018. This exhibition is the first of three pre-contemporary American art projects supported by major funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.

The Tiffany windows, titled Angel of Resurrection (1899; 90 x 37 inches), show an angelic figure among a field of lilies. The La Farge panels, titled The Pool at Bethesda (1898; 133 3/8 x 31 7/8 inches), depict a scene from the New Testament, in which an angel of God stirs the healing waters of the pool at Bethesda. The windows are remnants of the American Gilded Age, an era that saw rapid economic growth and development—and a boom in church construction that also brought along a resurgence of interest in stained glass for its beauty and power in conveying narrative. Both sets of panels are undergoing extensive conservation work, to clean the glass and ensure the stability of their mountings, so that new audiences can experience the intricacies and vibrancy of their designs.

The exhibition also features other works that highlight the artists' creative visions and techniques, as well as their aesthetic influences, from paintings and works on paper to Favrile glass. Among these works is La Farge's experimental Peacock Window (1892–1908)—another work in WAM's collections—which simulates the vibrant coloration of the magnificent, exotic bird, and is the last example of La Farge working with the challenging process of cloisonné glass.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Sherman Fairchild Foundation.

Additional corporate support is provided by:

Bite-Sized Art Talks

Art and artist questions explained in ninety seconds or less!

How were the stained glass windows conserved?

How did WAM acquire the Tiffany and La Farge windows?

Press

The Boston Globe
A Tiffany rival, and a genius of stained glass
By Cate McQuaid, January 30, 2019

Related Programs

Thursday, October 18, 6pm
Master Series Third Thursday: The Techniques, Conservation, and History of John La Farge's Stained Glass
Speakers: T. Amanda Lett, PhD Candidate, History of Art and Architecture Boston University, and Guest Curator at the Worcester Art Museum; Diane Rousseau Independent Conservator; and Amanda Chau, Assistant Conservator, American Museum of Natural History

Presented with support from the Bernard and Louise Palitz Fund and the Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture Fund.

Master Series is sponsored by:

Media Partner: WGBH Forum Network

Selected Images

	John La Farge, The Pool at Bethesda, 1898, stained glass, Gift of Mount Vernon Congregational Church, 1975.100.1
	John La Farge, The Pool at Bethesda, 1898, stained glass, Gift of Mount Vernon Congregational Church, 1975.100.2