Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas"
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Debate as to who was the true inventor of the opalescent, or iridescent, glass that figured so prominently in American stained glass, arose between Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge in their own time, and continues today, although it seems that La Farge may have been the first to explore this medium. Hospitalitas was designed for the Brooklyn house of Herbert L. Pratt, still standing at 213 Clinton Avenue, where it was installed in the stairwell landing in the entrance hall. Only eight years after it was made, the window was given to the Museum. This may be explained by La Farge's waning popularity at the end of his career. La Farge's earlier windows were often lush, Asian-inspired floral compositions in the Aesthetic Movement style. Hospitalitas, dressed in classical garb and flanked by columns, may have been La Farge's attempt to reconcile his art with the neoclassicism of the Beaux-Arts style popular at the time.
Caption
John La Farge (American, 1835–1910). Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas", 1906–1907. Glass, 82 1/2 × 52 in. (209.6 × 132.1 cm) frame: 88 1/4 × 59 × 2 1/4 in. (224.2 × 149.9 × 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Herbert L. Pratt, 15.493. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Maker
Title
Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas"
Date
1906–1907
Medium
Glass
Classification
Dimensions
82 1/2 × 52 in. (209.6 × 132.1 cm) frame: 88 1/4 × 59 × 2 1/4 in. (224.2 × 149.9 × 5.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert L. Pratt
Accession Number
15.493
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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Frequent Art Questions
Is the stain glass "Hospitalitas" a replica or the original?
This is an original. It was made for a private home in Brooklyn, but the owners later gave it to the Brooklyn Museum only eight years after it was completed and installed. It was originally in the home of Herbert L. Pratt, still standing at 213 Clinton Avenue, where it was installed in the stairwell landing in the entrance hall.Who made this?
That stained glass window was designed by John LaFarge, one of the leading American stained glass makers and a rival of Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. It widow was made for a private house in Brooklyn. The woman in the window symbolizes "Hospitality" and was installed in at the entrance hall in the home, welcoming people in with open arms.Tell me more.
This stained glass window was made for a private house in Brooklyn. It was designed by one of the leading American stained glass window makers of the time, John Lafarge. The popularity of stained glass at the turn of the 20th century reflected the Gilded Age fascination with medieval art and craftsmanship. The woman symbolizes hospitality and was installed at the entrance of the house, welcoming visitors with open arms.What technique and materials did they use to paint faces on stained glass?
To produce the effect you see here, the artists would have simply painted on the back of the glass with a vitreous enamel. It fuses with the glass itself so that the decoration is durable.Thanks! Amazing collection and app!I'm so glad you like the museum, and I'm happy you're enjoying the app!Dime más.
Esta vitral fue diseñado por John LaFarge, uno de los principales fabricantes de vitrales estadounidenses. Fue hecha para una casa particular aquí en Brooklyn. La mujer en la ventana simboliza "Hospitalidad" y se instaló en el pasillo de la casa, dando la bienvenida a los invitados con los brazos abiertos.
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