Wednesday, January 26, 2022 (continued)
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Glencairn Museum in Glencairn (1928-1929, by
Raymond Pitcairn in "medieval" style) |
Although not a professional architect, Raymond Pitcairn (the eldest son of John Pitcairn, Jr) designed both the Bryn Athyn Cathedral and his home, Glencairn. The design of both buildings evolved gradually, relying on scale and full-sized plaster models rather than solely on predetermined architectural plans. Creative input was sought from the craftsmen themselves, who worked together with designers in the shops and studios that were built for them on the site. Glencairn was also designed to house Pitcairn’s collection of medieval objects, which were purchased as inspirational models for the artists who worked on the Cathedral.
The museum now also includes collections of religious art and history that were purchased (mostly by John Pitcairn, Jr) for the museum in the library of the Academy of the New Church.
Our tour focused on how the Raymond Pitcairn family celebrated Christmas.
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Great Hall, which was like an outsized but
comfortable living room, and today was
filled with nativity displays |
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| Great Hall painted ceiling |
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Great Hall monumental glass mosaic that
depicts the seal of the Academy of the New
Church divided into four parts; the medallions
represent the Boys School, the Girls School,
Bryn Athyn College, and the Theological School |
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The Pitcairn family would decorate a two-story
Christmas tree in the Great Hall, and beneath
would stand a Steiff (Germany) toy on wheels,
a new one almost every year |
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Upper Hall Icon of the Nativity (2013, by
Susan Kelly vonMedicus, who was a niece
of Grace Kelly, in Byzantine style) |
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One of the Moravian stars (c 1950s, by Herrnhut Star
Company, East Saxony, Germany) represents the
Star of Bethlehem and may have originated as a 1930s lesson
in geometry in a Moravian Church school in Niesky, Germany |
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| Upper Hall Christmas tree |
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Upper Hall stained glass window illustrating the balance of
power among the White House/Presidency on the left,
the US Capitol/Congress in the center, and the
Supreme Court on the right, with the quotation:
"There shall be justice among them," which Swedenborg
felt was one oof the essentials of a successful society |
Symbols of the four communities the Pitcairns hoped to serve during their lifetimes are repeated in the ornamentation throughout Glencairn: family, school, country, church.
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A bust of Abraham Lincoln (1923, by
George Grey Barnard) who was admired by
Raymond Pitcairn as "who above all statesmen,
heeded the admonition to do justly and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with his God” (Micah 6:8) |
It is interesting that George Grey Barnard also collected medieval artworks, which are now displayed in The Cloisters in New York City.
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Christmas Window (c 1919, by Lawrence Saint)
depicts the Angels Appearing to the Shepherds
and Presentation in the Temple on the top,
and Adoration of the Wise Men and Flight
into Egypt on the bottom; it was originally
installed in the Cathedral, but removed when
the addition of the North Wing blocked it |
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The Pitcairn Family Nativity (c 1925, by Winfred S Hyatt)
was first used at Cairnwood; the scenes include the angels
appearing to the shepherds, the manger scene, and the
wise men following the Star of Bethlehem |
In 1954, Raymond Pitcairn commissioned a copy of the family nativity for the East Room of the White House when President Eisenhower was in office. This nativity is now displayed during the holidays at the National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center in Gettysburg, PA.
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Another Christmas tree in the Upper Hall,
under which are toys that children may
actually touch and use |
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| Santa and Sleigh (c 1930s, Germany) |
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Door to the elevator that we took from the
basement to the top of the tower (9th floor) |
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We arrived at a glass-enclosed pavilion below
the tower roof, here looking down at Cairnwood |
Remember that John Pitcairn was cofounder of Pittsburgh Plate Glass, so all the glass in Cairnwood and Glencairn was likely manufactured by PPG. All the stained glass was produced in a glass studio housed in what is now the Garden House of Cairnwood.
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| View of the Philadelphia skyline from the tower pavilion |
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The seal of the Academy of the New Church is carved above
the entrance to the chapel, which is on the 7th floor of the tower |
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| Chapel ceiling |
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Chapel Christmas stained glass window with the
Annunciation, Angels Appearing to the Shepherds,
Adoration of the Magi, and Flight into Egypt |
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| Chapel version of the Lord's Prayer in Greek |
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Chapel version of the Ten Commandments
in Hebrew |
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| Christmas themed lampshade (c 1937-1940, by Frank Snyder) |
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Chapel Bible Cabinet (c 1926, by Frank Jeck)
is handcarved in cherry wood, with reliefs of
angels guarding the Garden of Eden
on the doors, and the four "living creatures"
who sat at the throne of God on the side capitals |
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The family living room with the
Boar Hunt Tapestry (c 1400-1425,
Franco-Flemish, perhaps Arras) |
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Christmas dining room table centerpiece, where the head
of the reindeer can be removed to fill the body with candies |
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Centerpiece made from the "latest"
material, Styrofoam |
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| Centerpiece cobbled together by a Pitcairn family member? |
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Raymond & Mildred's Bed (1931, by Frank Jeck) is made
of teakwood, with pairs of turtle doves
(symbolizing enduring love) on each post |
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| Closup of the pair of turtle doves |
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| Another pair of turtle doves on this personalized case |
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| These dresser lamps look almost contemporary |
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Raymond's wife, Mildred, wore this red
dress for generations of Christmas Days |
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| Bathtub |
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Carved wooden doors throughout Glencairn
seem to use the Frank Jeck technique of
using an adze to shape the timbers, endowing them
with irregularities similar to hand-hammered metal |
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The Bird Room with a mosaic of a white
peacock, and an Egyptian Libation Bowl
(c 1400-1200 BCE) |
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| Bird Room ceiling mosaics |
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