Design of Altar Rail for St. Paul's Church, Troy, New York
Louis C. Tiffany American
Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company American
Not on view
The altar rail based on this design exists, slightly altered, in St. Paul’s Church in Troy, New York, where it was installed after major renovations in the 1890s. The rail was commissioned by Sarah McCoun Vail Gould (1821–after 1880), wife of George V. Gould (1807–1868), Troy mayor and Supreme Court judge. The inscription on the reverse dedicates it “To the memory of Sarah Vail Voorhees” (1846–1872), the couple’s daughter, who presumably died in childbirth. The symmetrical filigree floral design is influenced by both Islamic geometric tiles and window screens, which were frequently employed in architectural settings both domestic and public.
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