Brooklyn High School Home to 'Gold Standard' Stained Glass Window
It was created by Louis Comfort Tiffany whose pieces can go for $5K and up.
Aug. 1, 2011 — -- Every day, hundreds of students file in and out of two art classrooms on the second floor of Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Their paintings and projects cover the walls and boards. But it's an unusual and rare piece of art that they are perhaps not noticing, that is now grabbing attention.
In the corner of the rooms, just above the school's entrance, sits a stained-glass window by renowned artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose masterpieces of picturesque landscapes have been featured in galleries, museums and the private homes of art aficionados around the world for more than a century.
"Tiffany is the gold standard in stained-glass making," said Arlie Sulka, a Tiffany expert at the Lillian Nassau Gallery in New York City. "Everyone else that follows just aspires to be as good as Tiffany."
Tiffany pieces typically range from $5,000 to as much as six or seven figures.
"Nothing brings the kind of money that a Tiffany window brings. It's the top of the line," Sulka said. "It's the glass, the design, the intricacy, the technique."
In December, a floral-design window was sold to an American private collector on the phone for nearly $1 million. Before that, it was in the front parlor of the former Darius Goff House in Rhode Island, which has since been converted into a nursing home.
But you would not normally see such an expensive work of art displayed in a public school today.
The window, which was paid for by faculty, students and alumni, commemorates the school's first principal, Dr. Walter B. Gunnison, who served from 1886 to 1916.
The piece, which was displayed in the book "Public Art for Public Schools," features a female figure draped in golden robes, standing before what is described as the "Throne of Knowledge" between two pillars.
It was originally installed in 1919 in the school's library, which was over time divided into two classrooms for additional space.
Today, the window is protected behind Plexiglas and sits above a closet, in the corner of the divided classroom. A small plaque hangs below it, bearing the famous name of its creator.
The New York public school system houses more than 1,500 pieces in its art collection. However, the New York Department of Education says it has not appraised any of its pieces because they are not intended for sale. This window is no exception.
Various art collectors ABC News spoke to say they were hesitant to place a value on the piece.
But Erasmus High School could potentially be sitting on a treasure -- without even knowing it.
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