CM: The Queen of Hearts is the name of one of the four Queens in the playing card game. In the standard English playing card deck, the face of the Queen and other figures represent no one in particular, although legend states the Queen of Hearts is a representation of Elizabeth of York (1466-1503), queen consort of Henry VII of England. Certainly the headdress the queen wears under her crown is of the Early Tudor era. Here, Wilbur H. Burnham was inspired by 15th century English iconography to fashion in stained glass a Queen of Hearts. He applied colored glass on flat panel, as if it were a miniature window. Burnham colored the stained glass following tradition, by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. He then arranged small pieces of colored glass to form the picture, holding them together by strips of lead and supported by a rigid quasi-rectangular frame. Subsequently, he painted details and used stains to enhance the design. The size of this piece is not far removed from old playing cards. Burnham created this Queen of Hearts especially for Dr. John S. Bailey in the 1960s, at a time the former was Copley Society's President and the latter its Vice President.
