(c) 2018 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Fragments from Reims Cathedral

maker Unknown

designer Henry Davis Sleeper (Boston, 1878 - 1934, Cambridge, Massachusetts)

manufacturer Phipps, Ball & Burnham (active Boston, 1919 - 1922)

Date18th century

Place MadeReims, Champagne, France, Europe

MediumStained glass

Dimensions54.5 x 34.5 cm (21 7/16 x 13 9/16 in.)

ClassificationsArchitectural Elements

Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Accession numberC8e1

Status

Not on view

Web CommentaryThese pieces of stained glass were gathered by Chester Howell, an ambulance driver during World War I after the German bombardment of Reims Cathedral on September 19, 1914. The French cathedral was still in ruins more than three years later when he gathered these. They were later set into this panel by American interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper. Both Sleeper and Gardner supported ambulances in World War I, principally through the American Field Service (AFS) founded by their mutual friend A. Piatt Andrew to provide medical support to French, and later American forces. Both Sleeper and Gardner supported the organization; Sleeper with fundraising and administrative support, and Gardner financially. Gardner installed the panel in the Chinese Loggia where it serves as a colorful memorial for the destruction of cultural landmarks during World War I.

Id729837

Last Updated8/14/24

EmbARK ObjectID11385

Source ID607