#63 Stained Glass Set

Acquired 1992

What a very special set this is. Made personally by my dearest client and friend from Keith's office - Jan Lehmann. Jan and Esther have been clients of Keith's since I have worked for him in 1987. They were owners of Fisherman's Gally restaurant until retirement a few years back. Jan does stain glass as a hobby. Esther told me in 1991 that Jan made her stained-glass nativity set which, of course, grabbed by immediate attention. He muttered something about $500 for the set and I told him I would love to see it and have one for my collection. Over a year later, November 1992, Jan and Esther said they had their nativity set out and invited me to lunch to see it. I was overwhelmed at the beauty of the pieces. As much as I wanted a set of my own, Jan insisted that this was the only set he was ever going to make - it is special for his wife, and it is too time consuming with all the intricate pieces to make again! I told him I understood, but if he ever changed his mind, I would love to purchase a set! As a complete surprise to me, a couple weeks before Christmas, 1992, he called the office to tell me he was making another set for Esther and the original set was for me! I offered to pay him, but he wouldn't allow me to do that! He gave his original set to me as a thank you for helping him all these years with his claims! What a precious, beautiful, extraordinary gift!Joe made new base pieces for the sets - one for Jan and Esther and one for me. The set includes 15 pieces, three of which comprise the amber backdrop for the stable. With lights behind the set, the beauty is exquisite!