Art glass windows and colonnade

Edgar Miller
1929

Edgar Miller became well known as a highly skilled and creative stained glass artist at a time when the general public interest in the medium was declining. He still engendered a high level of enthusiasm for his particular brand of art glass work throughout most of his career. In the mid-to-late 1920s, as he was truly mastering the craft, he would experiment with various techniques in paint composition, pattern layout, color arrangement, and figurative depiction.

These windows are neither the biggest nor most complicated of stained glass designs found in the Glasner Studio, but are exemplary of Miller's quick mastery of form and function, which can be seen in his patterned lead mounting, fine brush illustrations, and focused color scheme. These windows allow abundant natural light to filter into the bedroom until sunset. The figurations are some of Miller's earliest painted stained-glass samples in the home, with playful, illustrative designs consisting of a small antelope, a pony, and the head of a thoughtful woman peeking back at the viewer from around an abstracted floral arrangement.

The windows are framed on both sides by columns formed from plaster or cement that were carved and painted while wet, using fresco and sgraffito methods. The colonnade further accentuates the Romanesque inspiration for this corner of the room, complimenting the mosaic portrait of a young woman over the fireplace mantle.