Tiffany Chapel
Encyclopedia
The Tiffany Chapel is a chapel
interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany
and created by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. First installed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
, the chapel is again on public display, more than a century later, at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
in Winter Park, Florida
since April 1999.
-inspired Art Nouveau
style, the Tiffany chapel consists of complementing interior elements that include a marble and white glass altar
in front of six carved arches each supported by two double columns all on an elevated mosaic platform. A cross stands on the altar between two pairs of candles. The reredos
displays a pair of peacocks - symbols of eternal life
- under a crown in a Favrile glass mosaic
. On the left front is the ambo
flanked by two candlesticks. Off to the right is the baptistry its front bordered by four columns and its back showing the large colored glass "Field of Lilies" window repeating the columnar pattern. The globe-shaped baptismal font is sitting on a hexagonal columned base in the center of the baptistry. From the ceiling of the chapel hangs an electrified ten by eight foot emerald glass chandelier in the shape of a cross. Windows in the chapel show Tiffany glasswork built on the mosaic system displaying Christian themes including Christ Blessing the Evangelists and The Story of the Cross. Furnishings include wooden benches. In the museum, the chapel occupies an 1082 square feet (100.5 m²) area.
in the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building at the World Exhibition. Tiffany reportedly said that "his was a chapel in which to worship art." Visited by 1.4 million people it was greatly admired, brought international attention to Tiffany, and won 54 awards.After the fair, it was disassembled and placed in storage. In 1896 Celia Whipple Wallace (1833-1916) bought the chapel for $50,000 for it to be installed in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, then under construction in Manhattan
. It was installed in the basement crypt with the intent to be placed in the main church. However, when Ralph Adams Cram
took over as architect, the style of the cathedral was changed to "gothic"., and the Tiffany chapel stayed in the basement. It was in ecclesiastical use for about twelve years (1899-1911)—the only time it served as a chapel—then abandoned when the choir above was completed, and fell into disrepair. After 1916 Tiffany reacquired it, made repairs and replacements where necessary, and installed the work in its own building on his Long Island
estate, Laurelton Hall
. After his death in 1933 the estate changed. The Tiffany Foundation dismantled the chapel in 1949 and sold parts of it off. After a fire in 1957 that had destroyed the main building the remnants of the chapel were in disrepair and headed for destruction when Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean came to Laurelton Hall to recover its windows and architectural elements for the Morse Museum in Winter Park. Other parts of the chapel that had been sold off were tracked down and bought back, so that the elements of the chapel could be reunited. After an extensive renovation the restored Tiffany Chapel became accessible to the public in 1999. Most of the items are original including the windows, columns, arches, decorative moldings, the altar floor, as well as most furnishings. Non-original parts such as the walls, ceilings, and the floor of the nave are redesigned following descriptions of the installation at Laurelton Hall.
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
and created by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. First installed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the chapel is again on public display, more than a century later, at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art houses the most comprehensive collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany found anywhere, a major collection of American art pottery, and fine collections of late-19th- and early-20th-century American paintings, graphics and the decorative arts...
in Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
since April 1999.
Description
Created in a ByzantineByzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
-inspired Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
style, the Tiffany chapel consists of complementing interior elements that include a marble and white glass altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
in front of six carved arches each supported by two double columns all on an elevated mosaic platform. A cross stands on the altar between two pairs of candles. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
displays a pair of peacocks - symbols of eternal life
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
- under a crown in a Favrile glass mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
. On the left front is the ambo
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
flanked by two candlesticks. Off to the right is the baptistry its front bordered by four columns and its back showing the large colored glass "Field of Lilies" window repeating the columnar pattern. The globe-shaped baptismal font is sitting on a hexagonal columned base in the center of the baptistry. From the ceiling of the chapel hangs an electrified ten by eight foot emerald glass chandelier in the shape of a cross. Windows in the chapel show Tiffany glasswork built on the mosaic system displaying Christian themes including Christ Blessing the Evangelists and The Story of the Cross. Furnishings include wooden benches. In the museum, the chapel occupies an 1082 square feet (100.5 m²) area.
History
In 1893 the then-800 square feet (74.3 m²) chapel was installed as a showpieceShowpiece
A showpiece is:* An accomplishment which is worthy of display and admiration:* English Wikipedia's 1,000,000th qualified article, Jordanhill railway station, was called a "showpiece of parallel collaboration."* An outstanding example of a type:...
in the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building at the World Exhibition. Tiffany reportedly said that "his was a chapel in which to worship art." Visited by 1.4 million people it was greatly admired, brought international attention to Tiffany, and won 54 awards.After the fair, it was disassembled and placed in storage. In 1896 Celia Whipple Wallace (1833-1916) bought the chapel for $50,000 for it to be installed in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, then under construction in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It was installed in the basement crypt with the intent to be placed in the main church. However, when Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram FAIA, , was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partnerships in which he worked.-Early life:Cram was born on December 16, 1863 at Hampton Falls, New...
took over as architect, the style of the cathedral was changed to "gothic"., and the Tiffany chapel stayed in the basement. It was in ecclesiastical use for about twelve years (1899-1911)—the only time it served as a chapel—then abandoned when the choir above was completed, and fell into disrepair. After 1916 Tiffany reacquired it, made repairs and replacements where necessary, and installed the work in its own building on his Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
estate, Laurelton Hall
Laurelton Hall
Laurelton Hall was the home of noted artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, located in Laurel Hollow, Long Island, New York. The 65-room mansion on 600 acres of land, designed in the Art Nouveau mode, combined Islamic motifs with connection to nature, was completed in 1905, and housed many of Tiffany's...
. After his death in 1933 the estate changed. The Tiffany Foundation dismantled the chapel in 1949 and sold parts of it off. After a fire in 1957 that had destroyed the main building the remnants of the chapel were in disrepair and headed for destruction when Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean came to Laurelton Hall to recover its windows and architectural elements for the Morse Museum in Winter Park. Other parts of the chapel that had been sold off were tracked down and bought back, so that the elements of the chapel could be reunited. After an extensive renovation the restored Tiffany Chapel became accessible to the public in 1999. Most of the items are original including the windows, columns, arches, decorative moldings, the altar floor, as well as most furnishings. Non-original parts such as the walls, ceilings, and the floor of the nave are redesigned following descriptions of the installation at Laurelton Hall.