Henry Holiday (1839 - 1927)

stained and leaded glass

An attractive window in good overall condition. Glass with natural inclusions. Presently mounted in a pressboard frame, the condition of which is not guaranteed. Glass painted on both sides. For the sake of clarity it should be noted that this window is not the example which currently hangs in St. Paul's Richmond, but another to the same design and of a smaller scale.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The window in memory of Robert E. Lee was among the first installed in St Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.  Lee was the most celebrated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War and an iconic figure in American military leadership.

The window is illustrated in a colour plate in A. L. Baldry, Henry Holiday, London, 1930, pp. 27-28, 36-37, 55. Baldry notes that Holiday first travelled to America and Canada in 1890 where he `found many admirers who gave him the heartiest welcome, and where commissions sufficient to keep him busily engaged for a long time were offered him'. Having established his own glass works in January of 1891, Holiday indulged his interest in Egyptian art and the life of ancient Egypt with the design for his memorial to General Robert E. Lee, for St Paul's, Richmond, Virginia, a companion piece to his panel `Moses on the Mount'. The window may be intended as an allegory of Lee's reluctant abandonment of the Union, which had trained him, in order to serve as a leader, and ultimately as General-in-Chief, of the Confederate Army.
Another version, without inscription, can be seen at Ponsonby Church, Cumbria.