Katharinenhof

In the heart of Hamburg, nestled within the bustling cityscape, lies the Katharinenhof. This isn’t just any building. The Katharinenhof holds a secret, a story of resilience and artistic rebirth. Let’s journey back to 2009. Restoration works were underway at the Katharinenhof, a villa in Hamburg. During this process, a remarkable discovery was made in the cellar: the fragmented remains of a stained-glass window. The owners of the Katharinenhof, puzzled by their find, contacted experts at Erfurt University. The experts put out a call to identify the subject of the window. The answer came from an unexpected source. Keith Barley, of Barley Studio in York, England, recognized the figure of “Charity” amidst the broken pieces. He was working on a similar window for Sir John Soane’s Museum in London. This connection unveiled a fascinating history. Both the Hamburg and London windows were created by W. Collins of The Strand, London, around 1830. They were based on a cartoon by Sir Joshua Reynolds for New College, Oxford. Reynolds’ Seven Christian Virtues were popular, and “Charity” was often copied for windows across England. The Katharinenhof window, a masterpiece of Georgian glass-painting, was created on large pieces of clear crown glass. The vibrant colors were achieved by applying paints, stains, and enamels to the surface. This technique was typical of the era, as traditional stained-glass methods had declined after the Reformation. The shattered remains of the Katharinenhof window journeyed from Germany to Barley Studio in York. There, a team of experts began the painstaking restoration. The original timber, lead, and iron framework were repaired. Missing sections were meticulously recreated. The team studied surviving fragments and used the Reynolds cartoon as a guide to redraw missing details. They used modern glass, pigments, stains, and enamels, firing each piece multiple times to fuse the colors. Wherever possible, original glass fragments were incorporated into the restoration. The Katharinenhof “Charity” window, once lost and broken, now shines again, a testament to artistic skill and historical preservation. The Katharinenhof stands as a reminder that even in the face of destruction, beauty can be resurrected.