Lineage of Jesus

1988 – Washington National Cathedral – Nave Clerestory 

This window presents yet another storytelling challenge: how do you portray four epochs of time in one window, from Abraham to the birth of Jesus. We know that Rowan worked closely with his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Matz on the iconography in each window and one can imagine a conversation between them discussing who and what should be in each lancet.  Hard choices have to be made and then once those choices are made, a thousand other choices come next.

This is the last of the clerestory windows that Richard Avidon helped to create.  It is Richard’s opinion that, like the great Italian artists, Rowan had created his own atelier, a studio of apprentices, artist and craft’s people, to deliver the clerestory windows.  He felt that as an independent stained glass artist, Rowan was a maverick in a time when most stained glass windows were done under a rigid, “factory“ type studio system.  Rowan’s atelier was not under one roof, but spread out from California to London.  Richard thinks that the greatest thing that this ensemble produced is a remarkably consistent set of windows under Rowan’s direction over the course of nearly 20 years.

Year Completed

1988

Artists

Rowan LeCompte Assisted by Richard Avidon

Fabricator

Dieter Goldkuhle

Location In Building

South Clerestory Bay 3