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The realism of "Head of Christ" is striking yet sweet. Soft, painterly patches of violet and green hues throughout the hair and beard of Christ, coupled with the abundance of fine hatching and cross-hatching around the eyes, nose, and neck of the figure suggest Tiffany or one of his pupils were involved in designing this stained glass creation.
Unfortunately, no signature marks of the famous American glassmaker appear anywhere on the piece. The marked contrast between the singular piece of glass which forms Christ's head and the framing decorative sections of glass, the halo/cross motif, the opalescent glass, and the rippled glass, indicates the latter are more recent additions by another designer.
More than likely, the original piece was once part of a larger narrative scene from the life of Christ, such as "The Good Shepherd", commissioned for a church or memorial. Furthermore, Head of Christ is not a unique image of Christ, but instead resembles Christ portrait types developed by turn-of-the-century academic artists. These religious images were often compiled into sourcebooks and dispersed to art societies worldwide. Such artistic sourcebooks may have been valuable, inspirational possessions to a stained glass studio, such as Tiffany studios, whose ecclesiastical windows were in high demand.
Nicole Stutzman
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