Draft:Christ Performing Healing Miracles (Stained glass window)

A two panel stained glass window depicting stories from the gospels of Christ performing healing miracles. The piece is part of the Permenant Collection at the Hunt Musuem, Limerick.

Three cartoons are displayed in the epilogue room of the hunt museum. These are designed for stained glass windows and depict the miracle of Jairus daughter, Christ performing healing miracles and our lady of mercy with Dominican saints.  

Hone made this art piece by starting with a preliminary drawing called a "cartoon," which outlined the design. She then cut solid pieces of coloured glass based on this design, decorated them with enamel paints, and assembled them using lead strips to hold the glass together.

The first stained glass panel from top to bottom, depicts an allegory of a man (dressed in green) pleading with Jesus (in red), his hands clasped, knees slightly bent leaning towards Jesus who is turned away. Below and centrally on the panel, Jesus is seen laying his hand on an ill child while the man in green looks on. At the bottom of the panel, the once ill child, stands healthy with his arms outstretched to embrace Jesus in thanks for healing him.

The second stained glass panel from top to bottom, depicts a group of women, watching the scene below. Jesus stands blessing a woman dressed in green kneeling before him. At the bottom of the panel, two more figures kneel before him awaiting his healing miracles.

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Hone's stained glass windows are perhaps her most well-known contribution to the world of art. Unlike traditional stained glass, which often followed medieval or Victorian styles, Hone embraced a modernist approach that combined abstraction with a deep appreciation for light and colour. She used vibrant, often geometric patterns and a palette that was both bold and subtle. Her designs frequently incorporated elements of Irish folklore, mythology, and Christian symbolism.

One of her significant achievements was her collaboration with the architect Michael Scott on the design of stained glass for St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, which is one of the most famous examples of her work. Her stained glass windows for the cathedral, particularly the famous “Annunciation” window, showcase her ability to blend abstract design with a spiritual narrative. These windows are celebrated for their harmony of light and form, creating an ethereal atmosphere that connects viewers to the sacred subject matter.

Hone's work is often described as modernist, but she infused it with deeply personal and cultural references. She was particularly influenced by the colours, textures, and moods of Irish landscapes, as well as by early Christian art and the stained glass traditions of the past. However, her works also draws on Cubism and abstraction, which was somewhat radical for stained glass at the time.

Hone’s stained glass is characterized by:

• Bold, simplified shapes moving away from the intricate, naturalistic depictions that were traditional in stained glass windows.
• Vibrant colour schemes, embracing bright, bold colours, often using unusual combinations that brought a fresh energy to the art form.
• Abstracted forms: In her stained glass windows, human figures and biblical scenes are often stylized or abstracted, which allowed her to focus more on the emotional and spiritual resonance of the images rather than on realistic depictions.
• Spiritual and symbolic themes: Hone's windows frequently depicted religious and mythological figures, such as saints, angels, and scenes from the Bible, but always with an eye toward symbolism rather than literal representation.

• St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin: A set of windows that include the “Annunciation” window, which is one of her best-known pieces.
• Dublin's Church of the Sacred Heart: This church contains several of her stained glass windows, including one that depicts the Resurrection.
• St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin: Hone also designed stained glass windows for this significant cathedral, which were noted for their abstract, vibrant interpretations of religious themes.

Evie Hone’s influence on Irish art, especially in the realm of stained glass, remains significant. Her work helped to modernize the medium and pushed the boundaries of what stained glass could express. She is recognized as one of the few artists who successfully bridged the gap between traditional stained glass craftsmanship and modernist artistic movements.

In Ireland today, many of her works can still be seen in churches, cathedrals, and public buildings. She is celebrated for her vision, her use of light and colour, and her ability to transform a centuries-old art form into something distinctly modern. Her legacy also lives on in the broader history of modern Irish art, as she was one of the leading figures in the artistic renewal that took place in Ireland in the mid-20th century.

Evie Hone died in 1955 at the age of 61. Although she had been a trailblazer during her lifetime, she did not always receive the recognition she deserved during her career, but her contributions to both stained glass and modern Irish art are now widely appreciated.

Her work continues to be an inspiration to contemporary artists, especially those working with glass as a medium, and she remains an important figure in the history of Irish art.