Ruth and Naomi
1977 – Washington National Cathedral – Nave Clerestory
This was the first of the clerestory windows to be installed. Although Rowan had started on the Isaiah window in 1973, he interrupted that work to do the West Rose. When he finished that window, instead of going back to Isaiah he began work on this magnificent window. Rowan did all the design, cartooning, glass and color selection and painting for this window and Melville Greenland and his staff at Greenland Studios in New York City did the leading and installation. At the time, Mary Clerkin Higgins had just signed on with Mel as an unpaid apprentice.
If you look at the edges of the lancets you see that each lancet is framed by a row of tiny dots (“pearls”). This was one of Rowan’s ways of controlling the light coming through the glass and making the windows sparkle. In the video clip below you can see Rowan creating some of these dots in a newer window.
Watch Rowan Create Some Sparkle
Photo – Peter Swanson
Iconography
From the Cathedral’s Book “Jewels of Light,” by Elody Crimi and Diane Ney, we learn that the figures in this window are from the biblical book of Ruth. The center-left lancet depicts “Ruth the heroic and faithful provider” harvesting wheat. The center-right lancet depicts Naomi who leads Ruth, a widow, to Boaz who himself is a widower. Boaz is in the right lancet and he is “welcoming his new life with Ruth and waving a shoe in the then-customary gesture of acceptance.” Ruth and Boaz marry and their son Obed is seen in the top multifoil symbolically planting the tree of Jesse. Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the grandfather of King David.
Window Details
Click on an image to see it full size.
Ruth and Naomi
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi Painting
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 1
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 2
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 3
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 4
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 5
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 6
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 7
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Left Lancet, Detail 8
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 1
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 2
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 3
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 4
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 5
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 6
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 7
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Left Lancet, Detail 8
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 1
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 2
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 3
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 4
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 5
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 6
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Center Right Lancet, Detail 7
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet, Detail 1
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet, Detail 2
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet, Detail 3
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet, Detail 4
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet, Detail 5
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Right Lancet, Detail 6
Photo – Peter Swanson
Ruth and Naomi, Rose
Photo – Peter Swanson
Window Details
Year Completed
1977
Artists
Rowan LeCompte
Fabricator
Melville Greenland Studios
Location In Building
South Clerestory Bay 1
To learn more about Rowan and stained glass vist our DVD store.
Dimensions
15 Feet x 29 Feet
Address
3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
Produced By:
Global Visions & Associates, Inc.
www.globalviz.com
More Information
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