PHILADELPHIA — Freeman’s Thursday, May 18 Design auction presents a one-of-a-kind collecting opportunity: two stunning rose windows originally created for St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in West Philadelphia. Presented at an estimate of $150,000-$250,000 each, the windows are noteworthy not only for their beauty and opulence, but also their singularity: the sale marks the first time a Tiffany Studios rose window has ever been offered at auction. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

“This is such a rare and exciting market appearance,” said the Head of Freeman’s 20th Century and Contemporary Design department, Tim Andreadis. “The intricacy of these works is stunning, and it’s meaningful to bring to market pieces that have such a deep, meaningful history in Philadelphia.”

The rose window was a medieval invention, first used in the Church of St. Denis in Paris in the 12th century. The present twin roses of St. Paul were likely commissioned around 1904, completed in 1906, and supported in part by master merchant John Wanamaker, owner of the eponymous Philadelphia department store.

The resulting windows feature leaded mottled, streaky, acid-etched and ripple glass in vibrant hues. “Tiffany Studios often used spectacular specimens of glass in their rose windows,” said stained-glass consultant Julie L. Sloan. “Each one radiates the daily glory of light over earth.”

The roses of St. Paul not only respond to the effects of the sun throughout the day, they also feature powerful symbolic imagery: one rose is centered by a crown, representing Christ, and the other a dove that represents the Holy Spirit.

A mainstay of grand church architecture, the rose was a popular, though less frequently commissioned, window configuration offered by the Tiffany firm — and perfectly complemented the rusticated stone exterior of St. Paul’s. Rescued from imminent demolition, these windows now appear on the auction market for the first time.

Alongside these striking windows, Freeman’s May 18 Design auction also features a wide selection of furniture by George Nakashima, including chairs, tables, and benches in the renowned designer’s iconic “Conoid” style, and also a 1967 English oak burl Slab coffee table by him, estimated at $70,000-$90,000; more than 30 works by the massively influential American ceramicist George Ohr; a selection of ceramics by Gertrud and Otto Natzler from the collection of Dr. Ellis F. Rubin and Suzanne Borow Rubin; and design and art objects by such luminaries as Samuel Yellin, Harry Bertoia and Betty Woodman.

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