Raymond Pitcairn was still living at Cairnwood with his wife and children when he commissioned Winfr
Raymond Pitcairn was still living at Cairnwood with his wife and children when he commissioned Winfred Sumner Hyatt (1891-1959) to design and build the family’s three-part Nativity scene. (Hyatt was the principal stained glass artist and designer for Bryn Athyn Cathedral and later Glencairn.) A letter written by Raymond Pitcairn to Hyatt (January 15, 1924) during the beginning of the work indicates his desire that historical accuracy be taken into account as well as artistic composition. Pitcairn was involved in the process, writing to Hyatt that “I should like to go carefully over the arrangement.”Hyatt modeled all the figures, which were then cast in plaster, painted and clothed. The story of the Nativity is depicted from left to right: the first scene is the Annunciation to the Shepherds; the second portrays the Nativity; and the third shows the wise men gazing at the Star of Bethlehem. The Nativity scenes moved to Glencairn when the family’s new home was completed in 1939, and they have been exhibited in the Upper Hall every Christmas since then. http://ow.ly/Ulflm -- source link
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