In my last post I described the various windows we enjoyed viewing at House of Hope Presbyterian Church. Here I'd like to focus on just the Aisle Windows Connick completed. There are two on the East aisle and four on the West Aisle.
The East Aisle Windows
According to the plan developed by the architect Ralph Adams Cram and the building committee, the East Aisle windows were to include New Testament stories, to include the Transfiguration, Ministry of Teaching, Ministry of Healing, and Nativity. These windows were part of the original installation in 1914-15; a fifth window on the East Aisle closest to the Narthex, the War Memorial Window by Wilbur H. Burnham, was added in 1948.
The two "Ministry" windows along the East Aisle were made by Young & Bonawit, who also designed the "Apocalypse Window" at the back of the Nave (in the Balcony). Charles Connick was responsible for the Nativity and Transfiguration windows.
These are the earliest Connick windows I have seen, and they vary enough from his later work that I was initially unsure that they were actually by Connick. The biggest difference is perhaps how dark these two windows are, compared to later work in the West Aisle; another difference that occurs to me is the effort to provide background (like a painting) instead of allowing images to stand on their own. The result is a sense of busy-ness, with no area to rest the eye.
The two windows by Young & Bonawit are similar in coloration and background "painting," which suggests to me that either the two artists conceived a joint plan for these windows, or else one mimicked the other in order to provide a sense of unity. There are no orders available in the online MIT archive, so we don't have ready access to any documentation explaining what was requested or intended.
The Nativity Window
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| Nativity Window: Second Window from the Narthex on the East Aisle of the Nave |
The Transfiguration Window
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| Transfiguration Window: First Window from the East Transept on the East Aisle of the Nave |
The Transfiguration Window also uses deep, dark jewel-toned colors, but the effect is lighter because the three main figures are white, allowing more light to enter, and they are surrounded by a blue sky background so they are easier to see. Jesus is in the center panel, with Moses (holding the 10 Commandments) on the left and Elijah (holding a scroll) on the right. Peter, James, and John kneel at their feet. In the lower panels we see Moses presenting the 10 Commandments, Jesus healing a demonic child, and Elijah being carried away in a chariot of fire.
The West Aisle Windows
In the original plan, the West Aisle windows were to focus on the Old Testament. The oldest of the windows on this side of the Nave, however, is John the Baptist, who we find in the New Testament, although some see him as the last of the prophets leading up to Christ. The other windows in the West Aisle include Abraham, Moses, and David (all by Connick) and were installed between 1918-1930. The fifth window (closest to the Narthex) is the Queen Esther window, designed by Wilbur Burnham and installed in 1960.
Architect R.A.Cram notes in the John the Baptist order (MIT #718) that "the windows on the right are too dark, and this left aisle treatment must be extremely luminous;" accordingly, the windows in the West Aisle use lighter background panes, and despite their western exposure, provide significant light to the nave even in the morning (when these photos were taken).
John the Baptist Window
The John the Baptist window was commissioned in 1918, the first of the windows to be installed on the West Aisle, nearest the West Transept. According to the notes on the order form, "this last window is to serve as the connecting link between the Old Testament subjects and the New."
The central figure is John the Baptist, with his mother Elizabeth on the right and his father Zacharias on the left (note that he holds a cencer, symbolic of priesthood and prayer). John holds a medallion with the Lamb of God above his head, reminiscent of his statement about Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God" John 1:29). The small panels depict (from left to right): the angel Gabriel appearing to Zacharias, the baptism of Christ, and the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth.
The David Window
The next window (moving south, second from the West Transept) is the David window, completed in 1927 (MIT Order # 1144). King David (holding his harp) is shown in the center panel, with the prophet Samuel on the left and Jonathan, David's close friend, on the right. In the lower panels (left to right) we see Samuel anointing David to be the next king, David and Goliath, and David and Jonathan.
The Moses Window
The third window (moving south from the West Transept) is the Moses window. According to the order paperwork (MIT Order #1143), the window design was requested in January 1927. The paperwork includes a two page essay describing the window, which begins "[the window] symbolizes the spirit of Moses through the tree periods and distinct phases of his life and work -- Moses the Egyptian Prince, the Exile, and the Lawgiver."
In the left side panels we see Moses the Prince, with the smaller panel illustrating the princess discovering him in the bullrushes, "while the little standing figures nearby suggest her attendants and emphasize the ermine influence that was strong in the life of Moses." In the right side panels Moses is shown as a shepherd in exile, with the smaller panel illustrating his interaction with the burning bush that led to his return to Egypt.
The central panels depict Moses the Lawgiver, holding the tablets of the Law; the bottom panel is "a radiant symbolic design of the Fountain that sprang from the Rock under the rod of Moses....[with] the verse from Proverbs 13:14, 'The law of the wise is a fountain of life.'"
Note the Old Testament halos -- this type of halo for important Old Testament individuals appears to be a hallmark of the (later) Connick style.
The Abraham Window
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