Bartlett Archway Murals

With their gold leaf and intense colors, the sanctuary’s Frederic Clay Bartlett murals are among the most prized decorative elements in the church. The twelve balcony archway murals depict the Praise of God and Celebration of His Works. In these murals, Bartlett shows his inspiration by mid-nineteenth century English Pre-Raphaelite painters who notably rejected the three-dimensional painting techniques of the Renaissance and celebrated the very flatness of the artist’s canvas. Bartlett’s murals show the influence of his teacher at Paris’ Ecole des Beaux Arts, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-1898), who designed his murals to be subordinate to their architectural surroundings. Using another technique learned from his European teachers, Bartlett was the first American painter to use bas-relief in his murals.

Scope of Work
Before the conservation process can begin, the murals will be tested for consolidation and cleaning. Next, a re-cohesion of the “paint” and/or pigment to the existing plaster will occur. Cleaning will include the removal of all unoriginal products, dirt, varnish, paints, fills, and/or previous restorations. Areas of previous paint loss will be color-matched and in-painted in a reversible manner. The in-painting is a very technical and controlled process and is exclusively limited to the areas of loss. It is important that the entire painted surface reads homogeneously and is brought to its best state-of-conservation.

Photo credit: Martin Cheung

Tiffany's Jeweled Window

The window, donated by Marshall Field I in memory of a First Presbyterian Church minister, Dr. Zephaniah Moore Humphrey, consists of an intricate mosaic of hand-faceted and mold-pressed glass jewels. Tiffany apparently considered this window very important, as he exhibited it in his New York studios before shipping it to Chicago for installation. An article which appeared in the Chicago Tribune at the time of the 1893 unveiling stated in part, “The window is one of the most remarkable pieces of glass work that has ever been placed in any church in the country. It is composed of over 12,000 pieces of glass and each separate piece is artistic in itself. This window is surrounded by a border having all the richness of a silk Persian rug.” Representatives from Canada, England, Germany, China and India attended the original unveiling. In the center panel of the window, an elaborately jeweled cross springs from a bronze medallion, which is surrounded by a pattern of hundreds of small jewels. Many of the pieces, the “jewels,” are rough cut chunks of glass which capture and refract the light, much as a carefully cut diamond would do. It is a very valuable window and upon restoration will be among the most dramatic and dazzling in the sanctuary.

The window was painstakingly removed late in March and transported to the Venturella Studio for conservation. It was exciting to see each panel as it was removed and see the jeweled glass up close. What’s even more exciting is to see the pictures that Tom and Jim send to update us on their conservation. They have already worked on several panels.

The Jeweled window, like the windows we have previously restored, is extremely dirty. Removing that dirt is eyepopping. New colors are being revealed. Broken glass is being glued. And Tiffany’s artistry is coming back to life. The conservation will continue until the Spring of 2026, when the window will return for reinstallation and to wow us all.

Restored top of the Jeweled Window