Tiffany variations on "Truth"
It's not unusual to find repeated allegorical motifs in memorial and religious art. One of these motifs, an allegorical figure of "Truth," first caught my attention in the Tiffany Studios stained glass window in the Shedd Memorial Chapel, Rosehill Mausoleum, Chicago.
Urban Explorer notes that the Truth figure "wears a key around his neck and carries a sword in one hand and a torch in the other. If you visit at the right time of day, the chamber glows with green and blue light feeling very aquarium-like indeed."
Not only is the symbolism within the composition significant, but I soon discovered that there are some interesting variations on the "Truth" theme produced by Tiffany Studios in both mosaic and stained glass. I illustrate some of these variations here.
Rosehill Cemetery, Community Mausoleum, Chicago, Illinois, John G. Shedd Memorial Window: Angel of Truth, 1915
A second example of "Truth" is as close as an adjacent hallway in the same mausoleum:
Adams Memorial window, "Truth," Rosehill Mausoleum, an exact duplicate of the center Shedd window.
This window, as well as the Shedd Memorial above, is listed in the Tiffany Census of stained glass.
Sotheby's, Property from the Doros Collection, 2023 (Estimate 60,000 - 80,000 USD)
Frederick Wilson for Tiffany Glass & Decorating Co. - "Truth" - Mosaic Panel, ca.1898.
Favrile glass mosaic on panel (89 ½ x 45 ½ x 1 ¼ in. (227.3 x 115.6 x 3.1 cm)
The panel was created in 1899 to the memory of John W. Leighton (1825-1897) for the Second Church of Boston, where Cotton Mather was at one time its minister. It was prominently placed on the front wall of the church’s interior, directly above the altar.
As with all of Wilson’s designs for Tiffany, “Truth” is replete with symbolism. The life-sized robed allegorical figure, set against a variegated gold background, is wearing the key of Knowledge around the neck while holding the sword of the Spirit and Justice in its right hand and the flame of Enlightenment in the left. The figure is bordered on each side by slender frankincense trees, signifying righteousness and holiness, with twisted trunks and ornate blue, green and mauve foliage. Accompanying the panel was a now-lost bronze plaque that included the inscription “The Truth shall set you free.”
Sotheby's site
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The mosaic in situ, Second Church of Boston, c. 1910
Mosaic panel in New York University
Illustrated in Tiffany Studios Memorials in Glass and Stone
This "Truth" favrile mosaic appears identical to the black and white illustration above, yet the Tiffany Census places it in Green Lawn Cemetery, Huntington Mausoleum, Columbus, Ohio.
Using the Category Index at Tiffany Census, I soon discovered that the Truth figure is all over the place. Here are other identified examples:
St. Peter's Chapel, Mare Island, Vallejo, California, Colhoun Memorial Window: Truth
Bronx Community College, Gould Memorial Library, Bronx, New York City, New York, Justice, Goodness and Power
Second Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Missouri, Herriott Memorial Window: Faith
Keene Unitarian Universalist Church, Keene, New Hampshire, Founders Memorial Window: Truth
Bronx Community College, Gould Memorial Library, Bronx, New York City, New York, Justice, Goodness and Power
Metropolitan Temple, Manhattan, New York City, New York, Roosevelt Administration Memorial Window: Equal Justice to All
First Unitarian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, Founders Memorial Window: Truth
First Unitarian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, Founders Memorial Window: Truth
First Congregational Church, Toledo, Ohio, Woolson Memorial Window: Truth
Bloomsburg University, Harvey A. Andruss Library, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Truth
First Presbyterian Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Flick Memorial Window: Figure of Truth
West Hill Cemetery, Mausoleum, Sherman, Texas, Truth
Notes on Symbolism:
The Key of Knowledge (Neil J. Flinders)
Christ decried the intellectual class of his society- the scribes and Pharisees—because they had “taken away the key of knowledge” (Luke 11:52). This warning is vague, though, especially as to what “the key of knowledge” is. Through the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, it becomes clear that the “key of knowledge” is revelation, and a warning is given to those who ignore revelation and to those who hinder the people trying to heed it. This warning has additional significance to the learned who are proud and will not humbly listen to the words of revelation spoken through the Lord’s servants.
Flame of Enlightenment
The "Flame of Enlightenment" is a universal spiritual symbol for the transformation of ignorance into wisdom, representing the inner light of consciousness, purification, and divine knowledge. It signifies the burning away of karmic defilements, attachment, and ego to reveal one's true nature, ultimately leading to inner peace, stillness, and liberation.
The torch is meant to light the way to freedom and guide us toward the path of liberty and justice (Statue of Liberty)
Sword of the Spirit and Justice
The concept of "The Sword of the Justice of God" is a powerful and evocative symbol found throughout the Bible, representing divine judgment, authority, and the execution of God's righteous will. This imagery is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative and serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the ultimate accountability of humanity to His divine law.
In another sense, The "Sword of Spiritual Justice" is one of three swords carried at British coronations (dating back to 1189), symbolizing high-level spiritual justice, while others represent temporal justice and mercy.
