Adoration of the Magi
Yoki (Émile Aebischer, 1922–2012); Atelier Michel Eltschinger, Villars-sur-Glâne
From the chapel of the Stavia Institute in Estavayer-le-Lac, 1955
Lead came, pot-melted coloured glass, partially sandblasted on the rear, grisaille, partially etched with acid. 124 x 99.5 cm
Private Collection, VMR 10070
On the right, this stained glass window depicts the Virgin Mary, veiled, haloed and dressed in blue, holding on her lap the infant Jesus in an upright position, also haloed and swaddled. On the left, this frontal group is joined by the three wise men, crowned and in profile, who have come to bring their gifts. The background is abstract and, in the original chapel, was extended in the stained glass window directly below our panel, which unfortunately has not been preserved. It reveals the artist’s early penchant for abstraction, in this case geometric, and gives the stained-glass an almost Cubist character.
This work dates from the early stages of Yoki’s significant collaboration with the Fribourg master glassmaker Michel Eltschinger, who worked with him until his death. A native of Romont, Yoki discovered glass in the late 1930s as a worker at Erie-Electroverre, a local glass factory that had just opened at the time. Later hired as a draughtsman by the architect Fernand Dumas, who also lived in Romont, he had the opportunity to work closely with Alexandre Cingria and other renowned artists, and to associate with members of the Groupe de Saint-Luc, which promoted a revival of religious art in the 20th century. It was due to Yoki’s involvement, together with Dr. Fasel, that the Musée du Vitrail, now the Vitromusée Romont, was founded in 1981.