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St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

Work by a Historic Glass Firm:

St Paul Preaching at Ephesus

St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

ATTRIBUTED TO J & R LAMB STUDIOS

  • Types of glass: 1. Opalescent 2. Striated 3. Lightly Mottled

  • Painting on faces, hands, and feet

  • Multiple Layers

 

This window is likely based on a 1649 painting of the same name by Eustache Le Sueur. Le Sueur was born and died in Paris. He is known for his religious paintings in the French classical Baroque style.

SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Each face in this window is painted in a unique and life-like manner.

  • No drapery glass was used in this window. All detail is on the back. This is a simple yet elegant window.

  • Notice how the support bar is curved below the face of the central figure. Earlier European stained glass windows had support bars and leading that cut through faces and limbs.

BIBLICAL STORY OF THE WINDOW

During his mission to Ephesus, Saint Paul preached the Gospel and gained many followers. Some of these converts to Christianity had practiced sorcery and magic. As depicted in this window, they burned their books and manuscripts on these topics.

St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

Attributed to J & R Lamb Studios

St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

Detail of St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

Attributed to J & R Lamb Studios

St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

Detail of St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus

Attributed to J & R Lamb Studios

J & R Lamb Studios

Brothers Joseph and Richard Lamb founded J & R Lamb Studios in 1857 in New York City with a mission to beautify churches. They were the British-born sons of a landscape architect. J & R Lamb Studios is the oldest decorative arts firm in continuous operation in the United States, and it preceded the studios of both John La Farge and Louis C. Tiffany.

When it first opened, J & R Lamb Studios was known for creating complete ecclesiastical interiors, including both furnishings and memorial artwork. The firm encouraged the harmonizing of stained glass with other decorations in a building. The firm has produced church furnishings made of wood, metal, and other materials, and it had completed more than 10,000 metalwork commissions by 1906. The studios have also made more than 15,000 stained glass windows in its more than 150 years in business. Over time, clients of the firm went beyond places of worship to include government buildings, museums, businesses, and private homes. Its windows are rarely signed.

The firm likely began producing stained glass windows instead of importing them from England when Joseph Lamb’s son, Charles Rollinson Lamb, began designing for the firm in 1876. By 1884, he was head designer, later becoming president of the firm. He worked for Lamb Studios for more than sixty years. His wife, Ella Condie Lamb, was a trained artist who began designing for the firm following their marriage in 1888. She primarily worked on mural paintings and mosaic designs. She also designed several opalescent glass windows.

The lead designer was Charles Lamb’s younger brother, Frederick Stymetz Lamb, who headed both the stained glass and mural painting departments. Between 1883 and 1921, he supervised more than 2,000 commissions.

Charles and Ella Lamb’s son and daughter were the third generation to be active in the firm. Karl Lamb joined Lamb Studios in 1923 and became head of the firm in the late 1920s; he led the firm for forty-five years. Katherine Lamb Tait began design work for Lamb Studios in 1920 and became head designer when her uncle retired in 1921. The family’s involvement with the firm ended when she retired in 1979. Employee Donald Samick bought Lamb Studios in 1970 after the death of Karl Lamb; Samick remains owner and president.

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