Abraham and Isaac

1979 – Washington National Cathedral – Nave Clerestory 

This is the second clerestory window that Rowan finished.  Rowan did all the design, cartooning, glass and color selection and the painting, and once again he hired Greenland Studio to do the leading and installation.  At this point it was taking him about two years to make one of these monumental windows and with 16 windows left, he realized it could take over 30 years to finish them. This very impressive window was the last time that Rowan did all the creative work himself..

The face of Abraham is distorted with dilemma and doubt as he is asked to sacrifice his son.  His whole body is twisted in agony with the task that lies ahead.  It is interesting to note here that in most all these clerestory windows the main figures are exceptionally tall.  This is because the windows are meant to be viewed from the floor a hundred feet below. From this vantage point, the long bodies are foreshortened into a more normal length.  This is certainly one of the more emotionally powerful windows in the clerestory group and Rowan has set a high bar for his future work.

In the video clip below Rowan tells why he thinks this is one of the most successful clerestory windows.

Iconography

The story of Abraham and Isaac is certainly one of the more dramatic personal stories and Rowan wanted to capture that drama in the window.  The center-right lancet depicts a clearly tormented Abraham.  The center-left lancet has Isaac reacting in surprise and fear to what his father is doing and the lower section of this has Abraham’s wife Sarah in a pose of protest as she clutches the infant Isaac. She is looking to the left lancet in which her servant/slave Hagar and her son, by Abraham, Ishmael, is being cast out into the desert.  Jewels of Light tells us that ” The color of the glass around Abraham suggest the intense heat of a sacrificial fire, though no flames are visible.  The far right lancet is an abstract design featuring earthen colors of green and gray, flickering lights of a fire and violet tears, symbolic of the tragedy and anguish portrayed in this window.” In the top multifoil is the ram’s head that saves Isaac from his fate.

Year Completed

 1979

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Fabricator

Mellville Greenland Studios

Location In Building

South Clerestory Bay 2