The Hosmer Collection is one of the most significant collections of secular pre-modern stained glass in North America and the largest in Canada. In contrast to the better-known stained glass works made for churches, these exquisite sixteenth- and seventeenth-century small panels were intended to grace the windows of private residences and other non-religious spaces. The first book-length treatment of pre-modern stained glass in Canada, this volume provides new information on the diverse subject matter (ranging from allegories to heraldic displays), provenance (the Low Countries and Switzerland), style, and dating. Each work receives a detailed treatment according to the criteria of the Corpus Vitrearum, the international organization which set the scrupulous standards for modern stained glass research, and is accompanied by photographs. The volume's introduction situates the collection both within the history of the medium and within the context of the architectural history and artistic environment of Montreal.
Also structured as an on-site guide to the collection, The Stained Glass of the Hosmer Collection, McGill University breaks new ground on collecting practices, architectural design, and the installation of pre-modern stained glass in new buildings.