Built by Tiburcio Parrott at the end of the nineteenth century, our historic Miravalle mansion has several iconic features, but one of the most notable is the beautiful stained glass over the staircase. Expertly crafted, it’s made up of 15 panels in the center with six more in an arched sash above. In the center sits a parrot on a branch, surrounded by detailed leaves and colorful “jewels.”
Over time, the window had started to wear and the frame to become compromised. In a particularly windy storm last spring, several panes were blown out, leaving glass scattered all over the stairwell. We reached out to Nzilani Glass Conservation in Oakland to help us restore this important piece of our history. “After looking at the condition of the wooden sash, it’s remarkable that the window survived for as long as it did,” said Nzilani president and principal conservator, Ariana Makau. “We were surprised by how many glass pieces didn’t break.”
Work on the frame and restoration of the arch happened at the same time as the preservation of the window. All the damaged panels and pieces were taken to the Nzilani studio to be photographed, taken apart, cleaned, and rebuilt. The approach was a combination of restoration and conservation. The majority of the light blue background glass was broken or missing. Almost 80 pieces were replaced with glass that was similar in color, tonality and transparency. The same approach was used for 40 border pieces where the glass was still available and matched perfectly. All leaves or border glass that had only one crack were rejoined with museum-grade epoxy. Only two pieces in the main design were lost, including a small amber glass jewel, but a perfect match was sourced from Bavaria. Unfortunately, after an exhaustive search, a small area of the parrot was determined to be permanently lost. Ten pieces (the majority) were salvaged and joined together, while the missing part was painstakingly painted by Nzilani’s Master Glass Painter, Armelle Le Roux.
The final step was to “inpaint” any cracks that were stable, but missing pigment. This step is always done on site after the window is reinstalled, so they can use the window’s natural light source. As a Nzilani team member once stated, “If the company is doing our job right, you shouldn’t notice any of our work.”
Restoration and installation was completed in November. Today, the window looks just as Tribucio had intended over a century before. We invite you to visit and experience the full splendor of this hand-crafted stained glass - both as it was intended, as well as the remarkable skill of our conservation team.