Autumn Landscape by Louis Comfort Tiffany
The unique beauty of stained glass windows must have something to do with the reason they’ve been used in churches for nearly 1200 years now. But it must be more than just the beauty. After all, in the ninth century, churches had thick walls and small windows, so stained glass would have made the church even darker than it already was. And even clear glass was such a luxury that it was generally found only in churches and castles. So colored glass would have been an exceptional extravagance.
But the drawbacks were outweighed by the ability to teach bible stories in a visual language to people who couldn’t read a written one. And colored glass, ultimately, is a material that is made from sand and minerals. So in a wonderful alignment of physics and theology, light from above would pass through an essentially earthen medium and be translated into enlightenment that could save a sinner. The beautiful colors and patterns mirror the beauty of the Light that conquers all darkness, as seen through the earthen medium of a flesh and blood Messiah.
Louis Comfort Tiffany may not have had that theology in mind when he designed this gorgeous stained glass window for a private home instead of a church. But in New York City, where it currently resides, in the early twenty-first century, it can have a very special significance for us.
You see, there’s one more thing this window shares with many a church window. The scene that Tiffany has chosen is highly reminiscent of a “River of Life” scene that was a popular theme in church windows at the time Autumn Landscape was created. And the River of Life is one of the most beautiful visions of hope in the entire Bible. Found in the book of Revelation, it is a promise of eternal healing and peace to a faithful people that has endured the most terrifying trials and persecutions. Have you been cheated, abused, disappointed? Have you suffered misfortune or injustice beyond what you could have imagined? The promise of the River of Life is directed to you, to assure you beyond any doubt that God sees your suffering, and though He has, in His wisdom, permitted it, He nevertheless has already provided both for your relief and your recompense.
So it’s especially poignant that God has caused this particular vision of beauty to be preserved in its museum setting in the city that was so recently and so violently broken, in such a horrific way that the cracks spread throughout the nation and even the world. Here at the heart of the wound, God has placed a stirring reminder of the salve He has already provided.
For such a moment, there can be no more hopeful and comforting vision than the one recorded in Revelation at the time when all suffering has been brought to an end:
“Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God…. On either side of the river was the tree of life…and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse…And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5, NASB)
Nearly a century ago, God was present in the inspiration that Tiffany experienced, whether he recognized its divine nature or not. And before New York knew it needed healing, God moved in another of His mysterious ways to provide for the window’s installation there.
But that miracle of providence is not just for New Yorkers. If you sense a powerful, personal connection with this or any other work of art, it is no mere coincidence. Instead, it is the voice of God, spoken many years ago, but spoken in a way that would be meaningful to you in this place and at this moment.
But the drawbacks were outweighed by the ability to teach bible stories in a visual language to people who couldn’t read a written one. And colored glass, ultimately, is a material that is made from sand and minerals. So in a wonderful alignment of physics and theology, light from above would pass through an essentially earthen medium and be translated into enlightenment that could save a sinner. The beautiful colors and patterns mirror the beauty of the Light that conquers all darkness, as seen through the earthen medium of a flesh and blood Messiah.
Louis Comfort Tiffany may not have had that theology in mind when he designed this gorgeous stained glass window for a private home instead of a church. But in New York City, where it currently resides, in the early twenty-first century, it can have a very special significance for us.
You see, there’s one more thing this window shares with many a church window. The scene that Tiffany has chosen is highly reminiscent of a “River of Life” scene that was a popular theme in church windows at the time Autumn Landscape was created. And the River of Life is one of the most beautiful visions of hope in the entire Bible. Found in the book of Revelation, it is a promise of eternal healing and peace to a faithful people that has endured the most terrifying trials and persecutions. Have you been cheated, abused, disappointed? Have you suffered misfortune or injustice beyond what you could have imagined? The promise of the River of Life is directed to you, to assure you beyond any doubt that God sees your suffering, and though He has, in His wisdom, permitted it, He nevertheless has already provided both for your relief and your recompense.
So it’s especially poignant that God has caused this particular vision of beauty to be preserved in its museum setting in the city that was so recently and so violently broken, in such a horrific way that the cracks spread throughout the nation and even the world. Here at the heart of the wound, God has placed a stirring reminder of the salve He has already provided.
For such a moment, there can be no more hopeful and comforting vision than the one recorded in Revelation at the time when all suffering has been brought to an end:
“Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God…. On either side of the river was the tree of life…and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse…And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5, NASB)
Nearly a century ago, God was present in the inspiration that Tiffany experienced, whether he recognized its divine nature or not. And before New York knew it needed healing, God moved in another of His mysterious ways to provide for the window’s installation there.
But that miracle of providence is not just for New Yorkers. If you sense a powerful, personal connection with this or any other work of art, it is no mere coincidence. Instead, it is the voice of God, spoken many years ago, but spoken in a way that would be meaningful to you in this place and at this moment.
If this is meaningful to you, feel free to keep the artcoin, or place it in another cache to share it with someone else. Whether it's meaningful to you or not, I'd really like to hear from you about your reaction. If you get a chance, send me a note
Want to know more about how God speaks to us through visual art?
Check out Art to Heart: Encounters with God in the world's great art