On October 21, The Arts window by J. & R. Lamb Studios makes its debut at the Morse as the centerpiece of a major new exhibition that illustrates the rich diversity of styles that made up the visual environment of the late 19th century in both Europe and America

Leaded-Glass Windows on October 21

WINTER PARK, Florida—On October 21, The Arts window by J. & R. Lamb Studios makes its debut at the Morse as the centerpiece of a major new exhibition that illustrates the rich diversity of styles that made up the visual environment of the late 19th century in both Europe and America.

Revival and Reform—Eclecticism in the 19th-Century Environment, organized from objects in the Museum’s collection, will feature 20 additional leaded-glass windows and selections of art glass, pottery, and furniture, a number of which also have never been exhibited. Other windows on view—some avant-garde, others reviving styles of the past—include examples by Tiffany Studios, John LaFarge, Frank Lloyd Wright, Edward Burne-Jones, Donald MacDonald, and Heaton, Butler & Bayne.

Beginning October 29, the Museum will offer gallery talks in the exhibition at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Wednesdays.

Revival and Reform provides a rare look at the diversity of the decorative arts in the latter 19th and very early 20th centuries rather than one focused on a discrete art and design movement of the period such as Art Nouveau or Arts and Crafts.  In this era, only the wealthiest could afford the total unity of design created by such luminary decorators as Louis Comfort Tiffany or Frank Lloyd Wright. Although their work is included in this exhibition, neoclassical, neo-gothic, and other revival-style decorative objects mix and mingle with those more avant-garde pieces, thereby reflecting the eclecticism that truly characterized the visual environment of the latter 19th century.

The Arts window, more than eight feet in diameter and the largest window in the new installation, is neoclassical. Lamb Studios, a prominent American glasshouse of the era, exhibited the 1894 window widely. In preparation for its first installation in the Morse’s galleries, the window underwent extensive conservation. This and other windows by varied artists of the period are being featured alongside such objects as a neo-gothic parlor organ, Japanese-inspired hand-painted glass vases, and medieval-styled ceramic containers. Revival and Reform is in sum a homage to the diverse design of the period and the visually complex interiors in which most people of this time actually lived.

The Morse Museum is located at 445 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park, and is open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. From November through April, the Morse is open until 8 p.m. on Friday, and admission is free from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Regular admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $1 for students, and free for children younger than age 12.  For more information, call (407) 645-5311 or visit www.morsemuseum.org.

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