06/18/2026
In this archival photo, gold leaf is carefully applied to lead sculptural overlay.
The sheet lead overlay is formed in relief by repousse (literally "beaten up from the underside") to give a sculptured effect and is also incised with slits of varying widths to let the richly colored glass background shine through in the daytime. The fact that the sculptured lead surface has been "flown" with 23 karat gold leaf is the secret of the brilliant metallic gold effect.
A bit about the Willet Sculptured Gold Windows:
In the early 1950s, the Willet Studio began experiments on one of the studio’s most unique creations, realizing Henry Lee Willet’s dream of a stained glass window that would be “beautiful both day and night,” under any light conditions. Willet combined colored glass with an overlay of lead sculpture “flown” with gold leaf, producing the Willet Sculptured Gold Window.