British artist, Head of a Bearded Man, possibly Jesus, 1400s–1500s. Stained glass and lead; 12 5/8 × 10 3/4 in. (32.1 × 27.3 cm). Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust, 2020.13

height: 12 5/8 in, 32.0675 cm; width: 10 3/4 in, 27.305 cm; depth: 1/4 in, 0.635 cm

European and American Art Before 1900

European Painting and Sculpture before 1900

Artist not known

Head of a Bearded Man, possibly Jesus

1400s–1500s

Glass, lead

13 ¾ x 11 in. (35 x 28 cm)

Promised Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust, TL-18557

This piece of stained glass is composed of a head thought to represent Jesus and a border with images of fleurs-de-lis and geometrical and other designs. The head fragment was created at a time when England was still Roman Catholic. It was likely cut from a church window, possibly to be replaced by an alternate image. The border was created somewhat later. The existing composite piece could represent an effort to salvage elements from a Roman Catholic church stripped of religious art following Henry VIII’s founding of the Church of England.

Private collection, England; Sarandon Associates, Tortola, British Virgin Islands; from which acquired by William M. B. and Bernadette Berger, Denver, 1997; Berger Collection Educational Trust; gifted to the Denver Art Museum, 2020. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum and we will post information as it becomes available. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.