An Túr Gloine
Encyclopedia
An Túr Gloine was a cooperative
studio
for stained glass
conceived in late 1901 and established January 1903 at 24 Pembroke Street, Dublin, Ireland
, on the site of two former tennis courts. It was active throughout the first half of the 20th century. Affiliated artists included Michael Healy, Evie Hone
, Beatrice Elvery
, Wilhelmina Geddes
, Harry Clarke
and founder Sarah Purser
. The original impetus for the project, spurred by the Irish cultural activist Edward Martyn
, was the building of the Roman Catholic cathedral in Loughrea
, County Galway
, which was to become St. Brendan's. Purser and Martyn hoped to provide an alternative to the commercial stained glass imported from England and Germany for Irish churches and other architectural projects. Purser's knowledge of French and English medieval glass, together with her social connections and organizational skills, were crucial to the success of the cooperative.
A writer for The Studio
, a magazine of fine
and applied art
, called the recently-formed An Túr Gloine "perhaps the most noteworthy example of the newly-awakened desire to foster Irish genius," describing it as "at once a craft school, where instruction in every detail connected with the designing and production of stained glass is given to the workers, and a factory from which some beautiful work has already appeared." The writer also extolled the economic benefits of an Irish glass industry to supply churches. The studio is regarded as part of the Arts and Crafts Movement
, but was infused also with the contemporary spirit of Irish revivalism
and drew on the artistic tradition of Celtic manuscript illumination
. Ireland became an internationally renowned center of stained-glass art at this time, to a large extent as a result of An Túr Gloine.
from the Irish poet
W.B. Yeats on how the "bourgeois mind is never sincere in the arts":
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
for stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
conceived in late 1901 and established January 1903 at 24 Pembroke Street, Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, on the site of two former tennis courts. It was active throughout the first half of the 20th century. Affiliated artists included Michael Healy, Evie Hone
Evie Hone
Evie Hone was a Dublin born Irish painter and stained glass artist.She was related to Nathaniel Hone and Nathaniel Hone the Younger. Her most important works are probably the East Window for the Chapel at Eton College, Windsor and My Four Green Fields, now located in Government Buildings...
, Beatrice Elvery
Beatrice Elvery
Beatrice Moss Elvery was an Irish stained-glass artist and painter.She was the second daughter of a Dublin businessman whose family had originated from Spain where they were silk merchants. Her family owned the original Elverys Sports store in Wicklow Street, Dublin...
, Wilhelmina Geddes
Wilhelmina Geddes
Wilhelmina Geddes was an Irish stained glass artist. She had a workshop at the An Túr Gloine and was a member of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Important achievements included windows at St. Bartholomew’s in Ottawa, Canada....
, Harry Clarke
Harry Clarke
Harry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement.- History :...
and founder Sarah Purser
Sarah Purser
-Early life:She was born in Kingstown in County Dublin, and raised in Dungarvan, County Waterford. She was educated in Switzerland and afterwards studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and in Paris at the Académie Julian.-Artist:...
. The original impetus for the project, spurred by the Irish cultural activist Edward Martyn
Edward Martyn
Edward Martyn was an Irish political and cultural activist and playwright.-Early life:Martyn was the eldest son of John Martyn of Tullira and Annie Mary Josephine Smyth of Masonbrook, Loughrea, both in County Galway. He succeeded his father upon John's death in 1860...
, was the building of the Roman Catholic cathedral in Loughrea
Loughrea
Loughrea is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains.The town expanded in recent years as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway.- Name :...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, which was to become St. Brendan's. Purser and Martyn hoped to provide an alternative to the commercial stained glass imported from England and Germany for Irish churches and other architectural projects. Purser's knowledge of French and English medieval glass, together with her social connections and organizational skills, were crucial to the success of the cooperative.
A writer for The Studio
Studio Magazine
The Studio Magazine was an illustrated fine arts and decorative arts magazine, founded in Britain in 1893, which exerted a major influence on the development of the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements....
, a magazine of fine
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
and applied art
Applied art
Applied art is the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use. Whereas fine arts serve as intellectual stimulation to the viewer or academic sensibilities, the applied arts incorporate design and creative ideals to objects of utility, such as a cup, magazine or...
, called the recently-formed An Túr Gloine "perhaps the most noteworthy example of the newly-awakened desire to foster Irish genius," describing it as "at once a craft school, where instruction in every detail connected with the designing and production of stained glass is given to the workers, and a factory from which some beautiful work has already appeared." The writer also extolled the economic benefits of an Irish glass industry to supply churches. The studio is regarded as part of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
, but was infused also with the contemporary spirit of Irish revivalism
Celtic Revival
Celtic Revival covers a variety of movements and trends, mostly in the 19th and 20th centuries, which drew on the traditions of Celtic literature and Celtic art, or in fact more often what art historians call Insular art...
and drew on the artistic tradition of Celtic manuscript illumination
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
. Ireland became an internationally renowned center of stained-glass art at this time, to a large extent as a result of An Túr Gloine.
Relation to literary culture
A commission for An Túr Gloine occasioned an outburst of criticism in Samhain magazineSamhain magazine
Samhain was a theatrical periodical published irregularly, with an annual in December, in the first decade of the 20th century. The Irish poet W.B. Yeats was a regular and leading contributor of essays outlining his artistic principles...
from the Irish poet
Irish poetry
The history of Irish poetry includes the poetries of two languages, one in Irish and the other in English. The complex interplay between these two traditions, and between both of them and other poetries in English, has produced a body of work that is both rich in variety and difficult to...
W.B. Yeats on how the "bourgeois mind is never sincere in the arts":
Works
The following table provides examples of work commissioned from the studio or created by individual artists associated with An Túr Gloine.| Subject | Site | Location | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... memorial window |
St. Bartholomew's Church | Ottawa, Canada | Wilhemina Geddes |
| Windows | Abbey Theatre Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day... |
Dublin | An Túr Gloine |
| Door panel depicting a triad of candle Candle A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow... s symbolizing truth Truth Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character... , knowledge Knowledge Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject... , and wisdom Wisdom Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and... |
St. Enda's School St. Enda's School St. Enda's School, or Scoil Éanna, was a Secondary school for boys set up by Irish nationalist Patrick Pearse in 1908.-Background:Pearse, generally known as a leader of the Easter Rising in 1916, had long been critical of the educational system in Ireland, which he believed taught Irish children to... , Cullenswood House |
Ranelagh Ranelagh Ranelagh is a residential area and urban village on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the postal district of Dublin 6. It is in the local government electoral area of Rathmines and the Dáil Constituency of Dublin South-East.-History:... , Dublin |
Sarah Purser and An Túr Gloine |
| St. Fanchea and St. Enda Enda of Aran Saint Enda of Aran is an Irish saint in the Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is March 21.-Overview:... window |
St. Brigid, Faughart Faughart Faughart is a town in County Louth, Ireland, situated between Forkill and Dundalk. It was the birthplace of St. Brigid , and Edward Bruce is buried in the graveyard on the hill above the town. Bruce, who had taken the title King of Ireland, was defeated and killed at the Battle of Faughart in 1318.... Parish Church |
Kilcurry, Ireland | Sarah Purser and An Túr Gloine |
| Window (commissioned 1922) | Presentation Sisters Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775.... ' convent |
Green Street, Dingle Dingle Dingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about 49 kilometres southwest of Tralee and 71 kilometres northwest of Killarney.... |
Harry Clarke Harry Clarke Harry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement.- History :... |
| Katharine Temple Emmet & Richard Stockton Emmet Memorial Window | Christ Church | Pelham Manor, New York, America | Sarah Purser |
| Windows, three on the south side, one on the north aisle | St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street, in Dublin, Ireland, was built in the early 18th century following the establishment of the Anglican parish in 1707. In the early 21st century the church presents itself as ecumenical within the tradition of the Church of Ireland.-Building history:The building of the... |
Dublin | Wilhemina Geddes; north aisle with Ethel Rhind |
Selected bibliography
- Bowe, Nicola Gordon. "The Tower of Glass: An Túr Gloine and the early 20th century stained glass revival in Ireland." Buildingconservation.com. With several full-color examples of works by the cooperative.