Breathtaking stained glass windows of Gilded Age mausoleums are seen for first ... trends now
Hidden in the mausoleums of one of New York's cemeteries sits a king's ransom of breathtaking stained glass - commissioned by the city's rich and powerful more than a century ago.
Officials at Woodlawn Cemetery first stumbled on the glasswork late last year, in a Gilded Age temple erected for a New York merchant and son of a Spanish general.
During an audit of the colorful windows, experts discovered a variety none had ever seen before - despite being seasoned officials on the subject.
They are now in the midst of an unprecedented survey that will see them peruse about 1,200 windows in the cemetery's 1,300 private, free-standing mausoleums, and reenter Gilded Age-era temples meant for the very wealthy.
Some have been sealed as far back as 1878, creating unique conditions experts in an interview compared to a 'microclimate. '
To gain entry, a local company adapted antique keys built by mausoleum makers in the late 19th century,
Gilded Age tycoon John H Harbeck's mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery, NYC, is constructed from austere gray stone - but it contains a very colorful secret
Visitors to the final resting place of the warehouse and railroad tycoon, who died in 1910, are greeted with a stunning stained glass window - one of hundreds at the cemetery, many of which have lain undiscovered for more than a century
The window in all its glory, complete with an image of Jesus surrounded by followers
This window is believed to be an unsigned work by iconic stained glass artist Louis C. Tiffany. It was installed in the mausoleum of JG Payntar in 1899 and only recently uncovered during a survey of the cemetery's glasswork
A mausoleum at Woodlawn whose owner and construction date has not been shared is filled with glorious amber and blue light as the sun pours through its richly-colored glass
A gorgeous cross and orb sits in the mausoleum of Jose Maria Munoz, a merchant born in Panama who made his fortune in New York. Munoz was the son of a Spanish general, with stained glass artists who recently discovered this window marveling at the 3D effect of the spherical orb, which was previously-unheard of for the time period
An all-star cast of stained-glass experts is carrying out the reentries, which will include a condition assessment, photographic documentation and archival research on every stained-glass window in Woodlawn's collection.
So far, it has yielded some surprising results - like the previously undiscovered window found behind a stone sarcophagus over the summer.
Already half completed, it has also resulted in the identification of several unsigned works from American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose glasswork revolutionized the field through his use milky, brilliant opalescent glass.
Also made famous by Tiffany contemporary John La Farge, the material boasts 'an internal glow and a milky translucency that captures light and amplifies color', said Lindsy R. Parrott, on of the experts carrying out the study.
Part of the impressive roster of
