ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 19

Limestone relief with the Adoration of the Wise Men, 13th-century France. (Detail photo on top.) Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 09.SP.85.

This limestone relief featuring the Adoration of the Wise Men was made in 14th-century France. It illustrates how these travelers came from the east in search of the Christ Child. According to the Gospel of Matthew, “when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (2:11). In the center of the relief, Mary and the Child are seated on a throne. The three Wise Men, all crowned, are approaching from the left, with the foremost kneeling down to present his gift.  

A winged angel stands at the left, behind the third Wise Man. At the far left is a crowned king, seated and holding a harp; this is likely King David, who in the Middle Ages was believed to be the author of the Book of Psalms (sacred songs). To the right of the central scene is another winged angel, this time accompanied by a woman; this no doubt represents the Annunciation to Mary. The meaning of the other scenes is unclear. During the construction of Glencairn, Raymond Pitcairn set this relief into the west wall of the Great Hall, where it remains today.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 16

This panel from a plexiglas lampshade, painted by Frank Snyder in the 1930s or 1940s, features an illustration of the Journey of the Wise Men. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 11.OP.02.

Glencairn’s family Chapel has a floor lamp with a handcrafted, six-paneled lampshade depicting scenes from the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Each one of the illustrations is accompanied by a biblical quotation. In the panel pictured here, the Wise Men are depicted at night with their camels, following the Star of Bethlehem: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’” (Matthew 2:1–2).

Raymond Pitcairn commissioned artist Francis (“Frank”) Eugene Snyder to design and create this lampshade in the 1930s or 1940s when Glencairn was being decorated. It is made from plexiglas panels, which Synder painted with oils. By using a variety of media, he was able to achieve the appearance and texture of stained glass when the light is turned on. 

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 13

Scene of the journey of the Wise Men, made by Winfred S. Hyatt around 1925. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, C37.

This scene shows the Wise Men gazing at the Star of Bethlehem; having seen the star in the East, they are now following it in order to find and worship the Christ Child (Gospel of Matthew 2:2).  

Winfred S. Hyatt made three Nativity scenes for the Raymond Pitcairn family during the 1920s; this scene is one of the three. Hyatt, the principal stained-glass artist and designer for Bryn Athyn Cathedral and later Glencairn, also made Nativity scenes for the Cathedral, the Harold Pitcairn family, and President and Mrs. Eisenhower. Hyatt modeled all the figures for the Pitcairn scenes, which were then cast in plaster, painted, and clothed.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 12

Stained-glass panel with the Adoration of the Wise Men, made by Lawrence Saint around 1919. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 03.SG.356.

This panel from a Christmas window features the Adoration of the Wise Men. It is part of a two-light, four-panel window designed by stained-glass artist Lawrence Saint around the year 1919. Here Mary holds Jesus on her lap while the Wise Men present the Christ Child with gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Gospel of Matthew 2:9–12). 

Lawrence Saint, who had his own stained-glass studio just down the road from Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Huntingdon Valley, worked as a glass artist for the Cathedral early in his career. He later became nationally recognized for his stained-glass work on the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. This Christmas window was originally located in Bryn Athyn Cathedral, but was later placed in storage, where it remained until it was rediscovered in the late 1980s.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

Recordad dejar comida y bebida esta noche para que los Reyes puedan repostar, ¡pero sobretodo recordad tener cuidado con quién dejáis entrar en casa!

Initial sketches I did of the Three Wise Men from my illustration post yesterday!