Isaiah and Micah 2

2015 – Washington National Cathedral – Nave Clerestory

This is the second iteration of this this window and the last of the nave clerestory windows to be installed. As was noted on the page about Isaiah and Micah 1, that the original window was deemed to be too dark and in 2005 cathedral friend and patron Hugh Trumbull Adams made a donation to replace “the black window.” The story of this window is a ten-year saga that is told in the film “Let There Be Light.”

The original plan was for Rowan to do the full size cartoons and pass them on to Dieter Goldkuhle, who would do the glass selection and then send the windows back to Rowan for painting, and finally back to Dieter for leading and installation. As Rowan began work on this window at age 82, his pace of work had slowed a bit and this began to cause scheduling problems for Dieter. Dieter initially managed this scheduling conflict by passing on some of the work to his son Guido who had apprenticed with him for many years. By late 2009 the window was nearly 3 years behind schedule and Dieter had to formally resign from the project.

Rowan then hired Mary Clerkin Higgins, who he had a great amount of respect for. Mary took over the glass selection, the leading and even the painting for the new multi-foil. You can see a video clip of Mary painting below. By April of 2010 the window was finished and sent off for review by the cathedral art committee.

In June 2010 the Fabric and Fine Art Committee, after reviewing only a composite photograph of the window, formally rejected it saying there were too many deviations from the original, approved cartoon. This was stunning news to Rowan and the completion of his vision for the clerestory was now in doubt. After seeing the photograph that the committee made its decision on, Mary helped Rowan file an appeal with the cathedral. She had her own photos of the parts of the window she worked on and they looked totally different than the cathedral’s photo.

Initially the cathedral said the window will not be installed and the discussion was closed, but in June of 2011, they took another look at the window against natural light and decided to install the two side lancets and then make a decision on the full window. In the mean time, in March of 2011, Dieter Goldkuhle died of a brain tumor at the age of 73. His fine work on many windows in the cathedral and in other building will endure for hundreds of years. In the clip below this “craftsman/philosopher” talks about one of his most prized possessions.

Mary and her crew were set to install the two side lancets in October of 2011, when in August of that year and earthquake rocked the DC area and did over 25 million dollars damage to the cathedral. This put the window on indefinite hold while repairs were made to the building. In February, 2014, at the age of 88, Rowan LeCompte passed away, unable to withstand a bout of pneumonia

In October of that year Mary and her crew were finally able to install the two side lancets of the new window. Shortly thereafter the cathedral committee looked at the combination of old and new windows and decided that the best thing to do was to reverse their original decision and completely install the two center lancets of the new window. The glass above the four lancets is from the original window. In the detailed photos below you can see the older, darker glass next to the newer, lighter glass and how they just would not have worked together. The window was finally installed and approved early in 2015.

While Rowan never saw it in place, he knew what he had done and how this had completed his nave clerestory masterpiece. In the video clip below, Rowan sums up his philosophy of stained glass and how it should support the building and not try and overpower it. His work at the cathedral indeed creates a great harmony between the architecture and the art of stained glass.

A footnote to this story is that the two old side lancets are now installed in the Cathedral Girls School and the two old center lancets plus the new multi-foil that Mary painted are still sitting in the cathedral attic waiting for a home.

Iconography

The two main figures featured in the window are the prophets Micah, in the center-left, and Isaiah in the center-right lancet. Micah, with one hand is pointing down to a city in flames predicting what would happen to an unrepentant Jerusalem, and with the other hand is pointing up to a bountiful olive tree, symbolizing the fruits of lives well lived. Isaiah is reacting in fright to the appearance of an angel who is about to scorch his lips with a hot ember, purifying his mouth and preparing him for prophesizing. The two side lancets are decorative half moons that are difficult to see but contain beautiful color and glass. The multifoil at the top illustrates the text of Isaiah, “Watchman, what of the night?” The Watchman is pointing to the east and the rising sun, symbolizing the coming of the savior, the light of the world.