Landscape painter, draughtsman, and stained glass artist Nicola d’Ascenzo was born in Torricella, Peligna, Italy, in 1871.  His predecessors were skilled armor makers by trade and thus he was heir to a rich family history in craftsmanship.

He came to the United States in 1882, when he was eleven, and later studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, and at the New York School of Design.  He also traveled to Rome to further his education at the Scoula Libera.

D’Ascenzo became known world wide for his exquisitely designed stained glass windows, which depicted both secular and religious themes.  His windows grace the Valley Forge Chapel, Valley Forge, PA; the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NJ; and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Although not as famous, d’Ascenzo’s oil paintings were equally compelling.

D’Ascenzo died in 1954.