By Pam Hersh
‘Tis the season for Tiffany’s, as in jewelry.
And ’tis the season for windows, as in holiday decorations.
I realized two weeks ago, however, that ’tis also the season for bringing Tiffany and windows together in celebration of a particular Tiffany window, a spectacular piece of art in a surprising space — the balcony of the Princeton United Methodist Church (PUMC) on the corner of Nassau and Vandeventer streets.
My epiphany occurred as I was barreling past the Princeton United Methodist Church to get to the UPS store. My friend and journalism colleague Barbara Figge Fox stopped me in front of PUMC and beckoned me and other passersby to come into the church to see something truly spectacular that I probably never had seen before, she said. No way, I thought with the self-assurance of someone who has lived in town for 40 years and walked past the church nearly daily. I have seen everything.
It took exactly one minute for my arrogance to melt in the brilliance of a Tiffany stained-glass window. Barbara led me upstairs to the balcony of the church where I saw the William Edward Durrell Memorial Window depicting Saint George made by the studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1910. The dragon’s scales are made of Favrile iridescent glass that reflects colors. The flesh tones are etched with acid. The signature is at the lower right.
I was blown away not only by the piece of art before me, but also by the beauty of the entire church, other stained-glass windows and the details of the granite Gothic Building built in 1910. The ambiance gave me a peaceful soothing break from the harried insanity that had characterized my life just a few minutes earlier. Barbara, a longtime Princeton resident, worked with Rev. Dr. Jana Purkis-Brash, senior pastor, and other congregants to establish the PUMC arts tour initiative to expose the community to this historic and cultural gem on Nassau Street.
“So many people come to the new part of our church for meetings, support groups, rehearsals — and of course the Wednesday meals served by Cornerstone Community Kitchen — but we also want to open our doors onto Nassau Street. Some passersby are curious to see our century-old sanctuary. Some want to meditate. The gorgeous windows inspire them all. Whether they are sightseers or neighbors, we hope they will find a moment’s respite,” said Rev. Jana Pukris-Brash.
The tours, which are offered on Sundays and Fridays (noon to 1:30 p.m.) by a team of five docents, are “exciting and fun,” according to Barbara.
“The visitors are nearly always awestruck,” she said. “Showing people around can take just a few minutes but some ask lots of questions, everything from faith doctrine to where is a good lunch place. Often they stay to meditate in the chapel or take pictures in the balcony. We send them on with a souvenir picture of the chapel windows and a copy of the Princeton Regional Chamber’s “Visit Princeton” map and guide.”
My appreciation of the artwork was heightened when Barbara introduced me to another congregant Duncan Hartley, the scholar-photographer who took the Tiffany window picture now being used on the church website and brochure. Even though a man for all seasons — he is a Shakespearean scholar, teacher, author and a retired healthcare institution fundraising executive, this season Mr. Hartley is devoting his energies to his skills as a photographer. He is preparing a book of his fine art photos focused on the street life of New York City. His “spare” time has been devoted to photographing and researching the window at PUMC.
Mr. Hartley, in a 15-minute personal tutorial, explained the significance of St. George, the dragon, as well as the artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. “The legend of St. George and the Dragon is simply an allegorical expression of the triumph of the Christian hero, or the church, over evil,” he said. “Having dared to criticize a Roman emperor, St. George was subjected to horrible torture.”
St. George became the patron saint of England in the 14th century and is now the patron saint of Moscow. Many of the most famous artists depicted St. George, and almost every major museum has a painting of him.
The dragon has been a Christian symbol since the Middle Ages. The metaphor is taken from Revelation 12:9 where Satan is termed “the great dragon” and “that old serpent.” In Psalm 91:13 it is written that “the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.”
As far as the window’s artist, Mr. Hartley said Louis Comfort Tiffany was “one of American’s most acclaimed artists, whose career spanned from the 1870s to the 1920s. He embraced virtually every artistic and decorative medium, designing and directing his studios to produce leaded-glass windows, mosaics, lighting, glass, pottery, metalwork, enamels, jewelry and interiors. As the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, the founder of Tiffany & Company, the fancy goods store that became the renowned jewelry and silver firm, Louis Tiffany chose to pursue his own artistic interests rather than join the family business.”
This Christmas/Hanukkah season (my religiously blended family celebrates both holidays) will yield no signature blue boxes from Tiffany’s. I have no need for a gift of expensive jewelry. My life is far richer now that I have received a gift from Louis Tiffany in the shape of a window at Princeton United Methodist Church.
