Religious Objects in Museums: An Interview with Crispin Paine

Number 3, 2017

Recently Glencairn Museum News interviewed Crispin Paine, a leading authority on the interpretation of religious objects in museums, about a new book he has co-edited: Religion in Museums: Global and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (2017). The book includes an essay about Glencairn Museum.

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“Powwowing in Pennsylvania: healing rituals of the dutch country”

Number 2, 2017

Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country features artifacts, documents and photographs illustrating a wide range of expression within the ritual tradition of over three centuries of Pennsylvania Dutch folk culture. The full text of the exhibition catalog is available online (in both html and pdf formats). The catalog essay is titled, “The Heavens are My Cap and the Earth is My Shoes: The Religious Origins of Powwowing and the Ritual Traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch.”  

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A Nativity from Naples

Number 11, 2016

The tradition of the Presepio, which has been called "the translation of the Bible into Neapolitan dialect,” represents daily life in 18th-century Naples, a bustling port city. The figures and structures in this Presepio were collected over a period of more than thirty years by the late Elizabeth Anne Evans of Bucks County during her annual trips to Naples.

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The Symbolism of Sheep and Lambs at Glencairn

Number 10, 2016

Perhaps the most frequently repeated motif in Glencairn is the grouping of ram, ewe, and lambs, symbolizing the importance of family. This issue of Glencairn Museum News explores the representation of sheep and lambs in the interior and exterior decoration of Glencairn.

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Assyrian Reliefs in Glencairn Museum:Framing the Ancient Past

Number 9, 2016

In this essay Eva Miller, PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, considers the five Assyrian reliefs in Glencairn’s Ancient Near East gallery. Collected by Raymond Pitcairn during the 1920s, these reliefs are “an exceptionally well-chosen group, representing diverse aspects of the religion, ideology, and artistry of the Assyrian Empire and typifying the development of the genre over time.” Miller examines the meaning of the images in these reliefs and how they have been received in both ancient and modern times. 

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Glencairn's Cloister

Number 8, 2016

Many first-time visitors to Glencairn Museum experience the building’s dramatic exterior before ever venturing inside. Glencairn’s grounds and gardens, together with those of Bryn Athyn Cathedral and Cairnwood Estate, are a favorite strolling destination for local residents. On Glencairn’s southwest corner, a graceful portico leads from the expansive lawn and carefully tended gardens to a magnificent cloister. This issue of Glencairn Museum News explores the cloister and the inspirations behind its design—including the capitals of the arcade with twelve species of birds, the twin-arched window providing a view toward the valley, and the special bench featuring a ram and ewe, carved from granite for Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn.

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Glencairn's Two-Foot Tall Medieval Hymnal

Number 7, 2016

Glencairn Museum’s large book of plainchant (75cm tall) was made in 16th-century Spain, most likely for the monastic Order of Calatrava. Like a modern hymnal, it contains the music needed for religious services, including 116 hymns as well as antiphons, responsories, and other music.

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An Interview with Jens Langlotz, Bryn Athyn's Master Stone Carver

Number 6, 2016

Recently Glencairn Museum News interviewed Jens Langlotz, Master Stone Carver at Bryn Athyn Cathedral, about the history of stone carving in Bryn Athyn and about ongoing preservation efforts at the Cathedral and Glencairn. Then we climbed the scaffold above the Cathedral’s south entry to watch Jens and his assistant, Grayson Zuber, in action as they replaced several badly worn limestone finials with exact copies.

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