Stained glass windows, northern elevation

Edgar Miller
1978-79

One of the most notable aspects of Edgar Miller's stained glass is that it is executed in the Medieval European method (i.e. enamel paint fired onto colored transparent glass), rather than the American method, as exemplified by the works of Tiffany (i.e. primarily opalescent glass, with a majority of the illustration of forms achieved through the lines between the glass themselves, rather than painting). Miller did not opine much on the subject of why he did not prefer the American style of stained glass artistry, but we can imagine that to Miller, who was all-consumed by learning about the past and its artistic methods, the Medieval European techniques and their similarities to other indigenous arts aligned more with his aesthetic tastes. And of course, in this Gothic Revival style that Miller was inspired by, he could paint and illustrate his ideas to his heart's content.

The northern stained glass windows were commissioned by Lucy Montgomery in 1978. Montgomery was the first in a succession of patrons who began to restore Miller's work and would eventually have the opportunity to meet the artist when he returned to Chicago for a short period in the late 1970s. With these windows, fabricated at the glassworks company Giannini and Hilgart, in Chicago, Miller attempts to create similar windows to the ones found at the south end of the room, installed nearly fifty years prior. Illustratively, they do justice to the earlier paintings and designs throughout the rest of the space.

Miller was forced to use a different type of glass that was more readily available in the 1970s, and that comes across as vibrant but more mellow than the stained glass in the rest of the room. Prior to World War II, stained glass used for such projects was likely hand-blown, whereas the glass of the ‘70s appears to have been made by machine. This slight difference is noticeable but does not detract from the window’s beauty, and Miller was certainly happy to have the opportunity to make another addition to the room. These windows remain a treasured addition representing the beginning of a new era of preservation at the Glasner Studio.