Number 10, 2012

A historian of medieval art at The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, described his reaction to the large lancet windows in Glencairn’s Great Hall in this way: “Upon entering the great hall, one is awed by the richness and proximity of the stained glass windows. Without scaffolding it is impossible [at Chartres] to experience the same view of the windows which were the prototypes of these. Six lancets . . . are unique in their adherence to the colors, tones and hues of thirteenth century French glass—particularly in the ruby striated reds and sapphire blues. One is overwhelmed by the scale, grandeur and magnificence of these testaments to Mr. Pitcairn’s desire for perfection in duplicating the manufacturing technique of medieval pot metal glass” (Thomas Pelham Miller, quoted in Glencairn: The Story of a Home, p. 135).

Number 9, 2012

The Unsleeping Eye shows Mary and an angel watching over the sleeping Christ. His eyes are open, signaling His watchfulness over the world even in sleep. In the corners of the icon’s raised frame appear the symbols of the four authors of the Gospels. These symbols were common in medieval art, with each author assigned his own winged emblem: Matthew, a man, Mark, a lion, Luke, an ox, and John, an eagle. The icon of the Unsleeping Eye has a long history in Russia. Iconographer: Susan Kelly vonMedicus. Now on exhibition at Glencairn Museum.

Number 8, 2012

Focusing on a dramatic moment in a story with tragic consequences, this carved twelfth-century capital from the French region of Aquitaine depicts Cain and Abel’s offerings to God. (09.SP.70)

Number 7, 2012

This ancient Egyptian libation bowl (circa 1350 BC), carved from black granite in the late 18th or early 19th Dynasty, was purchased in 1923. Originally displayed in the entrance hall of Cairnwood, where Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn lived during the first three decades of their marriage, the bowl became an unusual example of “living with art.” In 1927 Raymond wrote to a friend, “I shall try to remember to send your hat down by Preston [the chauffer]. You deposited it in the Egyptian offering bowl last night, where the little black princess was still gazing at it this morning with apparent interest.” The bowl was later moved to Glencairn, where it was installed in a special niche with a large mosaic of a white peacock decorating the wall behind it.

Number 6, 2012

This summer Glencairn Museum welcomes Julia Perratore (pictured in the Great Hall), who has been awarded a Curatorial Fellowship by the University of Pennsylvania. Julia will be working with Glencairn’s curator, Ed Gyllenhaal, on a variety of projects, including an exciting new exhibition this fall. When she is not working at Glencairn, Julia will be finishing up her dissertation on the Romanesque sculpture of Spain. In addition to Glencairn, four other area museums have been chosen to participate in this prestigious summer program: The Barnes Foundation, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Rosenbach Museum & Library, and The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Number 5, 2012

A “Days of Creation” relief sculpture provides the background for a photograph of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn. Here the Pitcairns admire a handwrought silver bowl presented to them as a Christmas present in 1951 by friends and members of the Bryn Athyn Church.

Number 4, 2012

Ken Leap, noted stained glass artist and Vice President and Education Chair of the American Glass Guild, has been leading workshops at Glencairn and researching the history of the stained glass windows created for Bryn Athyn Cathedral and Glencairn since 2006. During Glencairn Museum’s Sacred Arts Festival this weekend Leap will conduct glass painting workshops using authentic 12th-century techniques. Participants will apply glass pigment to designs adapted from Glencairn’s collection of medieval stained glass. The painted glass panels will then be fired in an ultra-fast kiln. No previous artistic experience is necessary to participate in these workshops.

Number 3, 2012

Raymond Pitcairn (1885–1966) is perhaps best remembered for building Bryn Athyn Cathedral, a renowned New Church place of worship, and Glencairn, a home for his family and art collections. Raymond’s interest in photography is less well known, but his extensive efforts in this medium are treasured by local historians.

Number 2, 2012

Religious people communicate stories that are sacred to them by means of oral tradition, scripture, and myth. In some cultures these stories are brought to life by re-enacting them in rituals that have transformative power. Glencairn Museum’s current exhibition, “Sacred Stories: Scripture, Myth, and Ritual,” presents religious rituals from a variety of cultures and time periods, carried out in order to recreate sacred stories for believers.