Brooklyn High School Home to 'Gold Standard' Stained Glass Window

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.

Brooklyn School Houses Tiffany Window

Thomas Venturella, a stained-glass conservator, bid on the job to restore the window in the early 1990s.

"I remember at the time they said it has been neglected for so long and needed attention," he said.

And it's no small job. The average Tiffany window restoration can take as many as seven to nine months.

The job eventually went to someone else, but Venturella has photographs of the window, which he took in what he described as a "cramped space."

"It had a personal spin to it, so that's what made it important," he said.

Without commenting on its current value, Venturella says the same window today could cost roughly $300,000 to create. Restoration could go as high as $120,000.

The value of a Tiffany piece varies based on the subject matter, condition, the type of glass used and when it was made.

"It's meaningful to the building historically. It relates to the building and if you take it out, you lose that relationship. It loses part of its value," Venturella said.

But the value of this piece goes beyond dollars and cents. Venturella says that while it is rare to find Tiffany works in a public school today, that was not the case when it was first commissioned.

"It truly reflects the time period it was made in," he said. "Depending on the finances, these schools would hire the best because it was a reflection of the standards."

According to the New York City's education department, there are other historic and contemporary glass and tile mosaics in schools across the city's five boroughs.

However, Venturella says what makes this case unique is that a school has an original piece from a monumental artist.

"Tastes have changed and finances have changed," he says. "There are different traditions in schools now. I give them [the school system] credit for preserving this."

The education department says it has no intention of removing the window, despite what some might say is a not-so-prominent location for it.

Still, art collectors like Sulka say they are excited to see the window back on the school system's priority list.

"There's an opportunity to learn something," Sulka says. "Tiffany can be for schools."