Here is a deliciously ornate, arched stained glass transom window which was salvaged from one of Pittsburgh's oldest neighborhoods in the East End. This window is datable to about 1885-1895, judging by the style of the window and the style of the architecture of the house it came from. I had a hand in removing this window, and it was not easy - it had to come off from the outside of the building, 30 feet up in the air off of a ladder. My friend who helped me remove it gets my endless admiration for hauling this down that 32 foot ladder, step by laborious step! The window is in its original rectangular wooden sash or frame, which has the original faux graining on the interior side and most of the exterior side is bare wood which was tucked under the brickwork, except for the painted 2" margin around the window. The size of the entire frame is 60 1/4" wide x 35 3/4" tall. (roughly 5 feet by 3 feet) The window alone, (without the frame), is 56" wide x 32" tall. The sash thickness is 1 3/8" and has mortise and tenon joints at the lower corners. The upper part is constructed in 3 layers. This window is perfectly flat, and has four original iron reinforcement bars attached by twisted wires for extra support.

The window is designed in the American Eclectic style; one of the many sytlistic permutations of the Victorian era. This was a style created to compliment the wild Eclectic architecture of the time. (otherwise known as Victorian architecture!) The design has been conceived with a great deal of artistic creativity and is certainly the most unusual (as well as being the most complex) antique window I have ever had in my studio in 20 years. This style was at its height around 1885 - 1900, and at this time in Pittsburgh, the stained glass industry was flourishing, and furnishing almost every home with a few windows. Most of the grout is still intact, although some of it is dry and powdery. The window is constructed with lead came. The leading is strong and in good condition, and all of the solder joints are intact.

This spectacular design features an abstract centerpiece, composed of a brown and blue streaky opalescent glass accented by small passages of clear ripple to give a dimensional feel to the design. The background around it is composed of a translucent cream colored opalescent glass, which fades from more transparency at the lower portion to less transparency at the top. When placed in front of the brick building behind it, (when it was installed), it gave the impression of fading from lighter at the top to darker at the bottom. The leadlines swirl and cavort away from the centerpiece, and are accented by gold jewels, which are cast jewels in the shape of rough cut rocks. These jewels protrude out from the surface, like gumdrops. The center area is surrounded by a narrow border of gold ripple cathedral glass, which forms the inner border for an elaborate network of borders, loosely resembling a fishing net, complete with knots at each intersection. On the right and left of the border, the net design diverges into abstact motifs, almost seeming to form letters. The background behind the network of gold borders is a rose colored opalescent with a semi translucent appearance. The outermost wide border is a warm toned brown opalescent glass, and the perimeter border at the edge is a very narrow band of cream and white streaked opalescent glass.

This window has been professionally repaired, with the intent toward keeping as much of the original glass intact as possible. Only two pieces of rose opalescent and one piece of cream colored opalescent glass were replaced. There were also two areas where lead was applied over cracks on both sides (calf joint type repairs). There are still some small hairline breaks which are all very stable, and barely noticeable. There are 3 in the cream colored background, 4 in the rose colored background, and one in the brown border, down in the corner. There are also about 9 very small hairline breaks in the narrow gold net borders, almost invisible because of the texture of the glass. The frame is in good, sound condition, with all corners solid and with no rot. There were two small holes drilled in the wood frame to facillitate removal of the window, and one hole does go all the way through the wood to the interior side. There is a slight separation in the wood at the top of the arch, about 1/8", but the frame is holding together just fine. This faux graining cleaned up nicely, and is in the best preserved shape of any I've seen. Only one small spot at the top of the arch has a bit washed out from cleaning. The rest is perfect.

All said, this is a stellar and truly wonderful piece. The condition is excellent for a window of this age, and this window still has many good years left as the centerpiece in your home, restaurant, or establishment. It is quite rare to find a window of this age with almost all of its original glass intact. It looks even better in person than in the pictures, and to say that it is a show stopper is an understatement. It can be used as a real window installed directly into the architecture or simply as a decorative window hung in front of an existing window. This window epitomizes the Victorian style in all of its ornate extravagance and creative ingenuity. It is obviously a uniquely commissioned work of art, and one which embodies the spirit of the age in which it was created. I would think that even a museum would be proud to display this fantastic work of art as an enduring legacy of the Eclectic period. My hope is that it gets to be displayed prominently so that it can be admired by all.

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