Tiffany Stained-Glass Window in Connecticut Church Seeks New Home
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The dazzling window by Tiffany Studios at the Second Congregational Church of Winsted
is to be auctioned to support the church’s mission and ministries.
The double-lancet window, installed above the church’s balcony since 1899, is called The Boyd Family Memorial Window (The Falls). Created by Tiffany Studios, it will be sold during a Christie’s auction in New York in June to support the church’s mission and ministries.
Ellen Wright Boyd commissioned the window in honor of her parents, John and Emily Boyd. Artnet describes John Boyd as a historian, steel industrialist and Connecticut secretary of state. Boyd also wrote an 1873 publication, titled Annals and Family Records of Winchester, that documented Winsted’s early settlers, according to a statement from Christie’s.
One side of the window features a waterfall flowing down brown rocks, while the other shows lilies, irises and other lush green plants. The background depicts an orange sunset fading into a moody blue sky behind a strip of purple mountains. A circular top section features a bejeweled gold crown. The words “John Boyd 1799-1881” and “Emily W. Boyd 1805-1842” appear beneath the panels.
The piece is “an exceptional example of the [Tiffany] Studio’s technical brilliance, emotional depth and command of color and light,” says Victoria Tudor, head of Christie’s design department. “Windows featuring a waterfall prominently in the foreground are exceedingly rare within Tiffany’s oeuvre.”
For more than a century, this gorgeous stained-glass window has adorned the church but is shortly to go under the hammer - officials say it could sell for as much as $2 million. However, it's worth noting that the 1913 Danner Memorial Window, another masterpiece by Tiffany Studios, sold for $12.48 million at Sotheby's New York in November 2024, setting a new world record for any Tiffany Studios piece ever sold at auction, significantly exceeding its $5 - 7 million estimate.
