Tiffany Chapel at the Morse Museum

TIFFANY CHAPEL at the MORSE

An 1893 masterpiece lives again

by Kelly Monaghan

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida, has recreated one of Louis Comfort Tiffany's great 'lost' masterpieces -- the ornate mosaic and stained glass chapel he created for the 1893 World Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.

The chapel was, on one level, a publicity stunt, designed to catch the eye and promote Tiffany's atelier. In that respect it succeeded famously, vastly enhancing his reputation and catapulting him to the forefront of American decorative artists. But all too soon his reputation waned and the chapel, which once graced New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, fell into disrepair. Eventually, Tiffany bought it back and installed it in Laurelton Hall, his palatial Hudson Valley home, which was largely destroyed by fire in 1957.

(Photo copyright Morse Museum.)

Now, in an astounding feat of restoration and conservation, the chapel lives again and allows us to appreciate its lasting beauty and deep spirituality. In addition to the altar, with its elaborate peacock motif in favrile glass mosaic, there is a stunning globe-shaped baptismal font supported by pillars on a hexagonal base. To one side is the magnificent "Field of Lilies" stained glass window, which has been in the Morse collection for some time.

It is worth the drive to Winter Park simply to sit in the presence of this extraordinary work of art and marvel at Tiffany's artistry, but there is much else to see at the Morse, which houses the world's largest collection of Tiffany glass. There is also a fascinating sampling of American decorative arts with an emphasis on the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th century.

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art is located at 445 Park Avenue in Winter Park. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children and students. The phone number is (407) 645-5311. The Museum Gift Shop sells some lovely reproductions along with an extensive selection of art books and prints.

For more on the Tiffany Chapel and the Morse museum, click here.

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