to the Salon of
J. William Fosdick (1858–1937)

14 Stations of the Cross

for the
Church of the Immaculate Conception
Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.A.

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14 Stations of the Cross By J. William Fosdick, 1928 Pyroengraving, gilding, and color on 14 wood panels in elaborately carved frames Basilica of the Immaculate Conception 74 Main Street, Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.A. Digital images by Sharon H. Garvey, © 2008

Set very high on the marble walls of the beautiful Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, Connecticut , U.S.A., are 14 wood panels, called Stations of the Cross. They depict the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) of Jesus Christ, and are used as a place of meditation and lament particularly during Holy Week commemorations in the days before Easter. In keeping with the stylistic thought of his time, Fosdick's interpretation presents the Stations not so much traditionally pictorial as decorative in type.

Unlike Fosdick's technique developed in the 19th Century, which he termed fire etching or burnt wood decoration in so many of his articles and interviews, by the early 20th Century Fosdick started combining painting along with his gilding, carving, and pyrography. The 14 Stations of the Cross displayed here reflect that change in style, which J. William Fosdick termed his Incised Line Technique and which he described in detail in his own words at the link here.

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If you have any questions or any information regarding these Stations of the Cross, or other works by J. William Fosdick, please e-mail the E-Museum Curator.

You are leaving the J. William Fosdick Salon
Featuring his 14 Stations of the Cross.

You can return to the:

Antique Art Hall
where there is a large section
with many exhibits dedicated to J. William Fosdick

or continue on your tour to one of the following

Pyrographic Art Exhibit Halls:

Portraits and Paintings

Decorative and Applied Art

Sculpture

Folk and Traditional Art

Children's Pyrographic Art

Special Pyrographic Art

The Book Store and E-Museum Library

Pyrographic Tools and Techniques

Your questions and comments are welcome and appreciated. Please e-mail Curator.

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