The Museum's medieval collection is ideal for learning about Christian religious beliefs during the Middle Ages, since most medieval art was created for churches and monasteries. The sculpture shown above, from 15th century France, depicts the Visitation, the story from the Gospel of Luke where Mary informs Elizabeth of her miraculous pregnancy.
Medieval art comprises by far the largest and most significant collection at Glencairn Museum. The core of the collection consists of some 600 objects, mostly French sculpture and stained glass spanning the years 1100-1300. The Museum has two medieval galleries, and many works of stained glass and sculpture are installed in the Great Hall.
Above is one of the finest examples of stained glass in the collection, depicting a legend surrounding the Flight into Egypt. This story from the Gospel of Matthew describes how Joseph was commanded in a dream to escape from Herod with Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt. The legend shown in this panel, not told in the Gospels, tells of a moment on the journey when Mary is weary and in need of food. Jesus commands the bow of a palm tree to bend down so his mother can pluck the fruit. This panel was made around 1145 for the abbey of St. Denis near Paris.
In addition to French stained glass and sculpture of the 12th and 13th centuries, the Museum's collection includes notable pieces from other countries and periods, and in other media such as ivories, enamels, manuscripts, tapestries, and frescos. The Italian fresco painting above is from a 14th century church. It depicts the Annunciation from the Gospel of Luke, when an angel appears to Mary and tells her she will give birth to the Christ.
This is a page from a Book of Hours, made in early 15th century Paris. It depicts the story told in Luke about angels appearing to shepherds to announce the birth of Christ. Books of Hours, very popular from the late 13th through the early 16th centuries, were prayer books for the laity.
Raymond Pitcairn originally began collecting medieval art to serve as inspiration for the artists and craftsmen engaged in building Bryn Athyn Cathedral in the 1910s and '20s. He designed his Romanesque-style home (Glencairn) partly to house his medieval art collection. Read more about the history of Glencairn and its relationship to the Cathedral.