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Triptych window in Main HallMain Hall of La Casa Nueva

Visitors see La Casa Nueva's largest stained glass window upon entering the house—a triptych (three-part) window above the entry hall staircase. Detail: Group of Spanish settlersMeasuring five feet high by nine feet long, it depicts a romantic scene of the California coast with dozens of settlers, missionaries, and servants eagerly awaiting the arrival of several Spanish galleons.

In the same room are stained glass portraits of a man and a woman dressed in Spanish and Mexican costumes and posed as if they were early California pioneers. The portraits, however, are of the two oldest Temple children, Thomas and Agnes, and are based on photographs taken about 1920. These windows show the skilled use of colored enamels painted on clear glass to create a highly detailed and realistic portraits.

 

 

Thomas Temple
Based on a ca. 1920 photograph with the San Gabriel Post Office as a background.

 Agnes Temple
Based on a ca. 1920 photograph with an imaginary background.


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