Woman with Jug

• Types of glass: 1. Opalescent 2. Striated 3. Mottled
• Painting of details on both front and back panels as well as top corners
• Multiple Layers

This window is alive with color. The blue of the robe is especially vibrant and perhaps represents the water in the jug.

As in this window, the Rudy Brothers often layered painting on the back of opalescent glass to great effect. This was an unusual technique for an American school artist. Here, the landscape, including the columns, plants, and flowers, are executed in this manner. But other features in this window are typical of the American school. For example, the artist painted the face and hands of the woman and depicted her clothing by layering multiple colors and types of glass. The birds at the feet of the woman may be the barn swallows that the Rudy Brothers used as a signature mark.

J. Horace Rudy, founder of the Rudy Brothers Company, had ties to two other famous stained glass artists. During his apprenticeship in Philadelphia, Rudy trained under the talented Frederick Wilson. Later, Charles Connick began his career as an apprentice to Mr. Rudy.

Biblical Story of the Window
The identity of this woman remains a mystery. However, in other religious art, Mary sometimes appears in a similar pose. Other women in the Bible, such as Rebekah and the Samaritan woman, also often draw or carry water.