Schwyz, painted glass and heraldry: a collection can travel

Stained glass changes when the light changes. Against a window it seems constructed from colour; photographed against an opaque background it may reveal above all the dark network of leads. Before asking who made it, we need to understand the conditions in which we are looking.

1609 and 1906–1907: a building and a collection have different dates

According to Vitrosearch, the house built for Ital Reding in Schwyz in 1609 holds Swiss heraldic glass. Around forty panels arrived in 1906–1907 from Eichbühl Castle near Thun with Rudolf von Reding. Present location and place of origin need not coincide.

This distinction matters beyond museums. Glass found in a family house may have been bought to furnish it, inherited from another property or remounted long after its manufacture. The building’s history and the object’s history should first be reconstructed separately, before their connections are explored.

Reading a small architecture of light

In the Metropolitan panel illustrated here, a female figure and coats of arms occupy a space framed by an arch. Blue separates the motifs, while yellows and reds concentrate attention. The museum assigns it to the workshop of Lukas Zeiner and dates it 1500–1505: “workshop” is part of the attribution, not an optional detail.

Notice how contours link design and structure. Not every dark line necessarily has the same function. Understanding technique and condition requires distinguishing painted marks from the elements joining the glass; an overall photograph cannot always resolve that distinction.

A coat of arms poses a question

A recognisable family name can guide research, but does not establish that the panel always remained with that family. The arms represented, the patron, the owner and a later collector may refer to different people. Transcribe inscriptions exactly, identifying uncertain letters.

Retain older photographs of the window or interior. A different frame, an earlier location or a dated inventory can help trace the object. Do not date an entire panel from a single inscribed element: composition and mounting require their own examination.

Preparing a valuation enquiry from Schwyz

For an initial discussion with CFA in Balerna, send a complete view, legible details and measurements of panel and frame where safely accessible. Explain where it is kept and whether it is installed in a window. Do not dismantle fragile elements or attempt cleaning to improve photographs.

Assessing historic stained glass requires consideration of attribution, completeness, interventions and documentation. A historical collection helps frame questions; it does not transfer the prestige or value of museum works to a private object. CFA is not affiliated with the institutions mentioned.

Presenting a work to Colucci Fine Art

For an initial discussion, send clear front and back photographs, dimensions and available documents through our valuation enquiry. To discuss a possible consignment, see selling with CFA. Our premises are in Balerna, Ticino; an initial review of the documentation precedes any decision about a sale.

Sources and further reading

• Sarah Keller, Reding-Haus, Vitrosearch, 2020
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Workshop of Lukas Zeiner, Stained-Glass Panel, 1500–1505

Image: Ital-Reding-Haus a Svitto. Jungpionier · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons. Photograph reproduced with automatic web resizing.

CFA Editorial