Watercolor Sketch for Rose Window

At Tiffany Studios, the first step in producing a stained-glass window was to prepare one or more watercolor sketches. Usually relatively small, they showed subject, composition, and palette. Watercolor was well-suited to this process because the translucency of the water-based paints resembled the translucency of the colored glass. A designer made these sketches. While Tiffany himself made some of the sketches, he increasingly relied on a large staff of talented artists, including Frederick Wilson, Edward Peck Sperry, Joseph Lauber, J. A. Holzer, Will H. Low, Clara Wolcott Driscoll, and Agnes F. Northrop. The latter was the principal designer of floral stained glass compositions, meaning she perhaps painted these beautiful roses.

Next, Tiffany approved the sketches, and then, the client selected a design. The chosen design was enlarged into a cartoon or full-scale drawing of the window with thick lines to indicate leading. The cartoon was usually in black or white. The designer then made two tracings of the cartoon. One served as the pattern for the window assembly. The other was cut into templates for producing the many individual glass shapes and sizes required for the pattern. Special colorists chose sheets of glass for their appropriate color and texture. Once all the glass for the window was selected and cut, the glazier put together the window using either the leaded-glass technique or the copper foil technique.
The designer oversaw every stage of a window’s production to ensure its faithful translation from sketch to finished work. This sketch undoubtedly resulted in an exquisite window.