Angels of Nativity

1962 – Washington National Cathedral – Choir, South Clerestory

This is a happy window! The colors are brilliant, and the figures are warm and inviting. It is one of three angel-themed windows that Rowan and Irene created for the clerestory level in the choir area of the cathedral. All three are thoroughly modern in their approach and design, in sharp contrast to the other angelic windows in this part of the building. While the choice of colors in this window is congruent with the older windows that surround it, this was the first window made at this level of the cathedral with no painted film dulling the brightness of the glass. There is a vibrance to the window that surely would have pleased James Sheldon, an early patron of the LeComptes to whom the window is dedicated. When the cathedral administration, wary of Irene and Rowan’s “modern art” reputation, proved reluctant to commission them, Mr. Sheldon intervened and himself commissioned the couple to create a window in the College of Preachers’ refectory to show that they could make really great windows. This window was a success, and Rowan and Irene soon had more commissions in the Cathedral, which was still very much under construction. Thus, it is only fitting that this tribute to Mr. Sheldon is a celebration of modernity.

Iconography

The baptism of Jesus, in which God claims Jesus as His Son, is shown at the top of the left lancet. According to Jewels of Light,this scene is a reminder that Christ is truly God. A small angel at the bottom of the lancet points one of the Wise Men the baby Jesus in the Manger. In the right lancet, the Holy Family flees from King Herod into Egypt, protected by a beautiful blue angel. This lancet asserts, as Jewels of Light notes, that Christ is also truly Man. Shepherds, seen below the angel, rejoice in the birth of the Child. And at the bottom of the lancet, Mary and Joseph take the infant Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord, and Simeon recognizes Him as the Messiah. In the center lancet, the Holy Family, an exuberant angel, and humankind (represented by the celebrating shepherds) together rejoice in the reality of God made man. In addition to the lettered dedication in the center lancet, the LeComptes also honor James Sheldon’s dedication to the Cathedral and his momentous intervention on their behalf through small sketches of the West front and South side of the Cathedral below Mr. Sheldon’s name.