Saint Dunstan Coat of Arms

1942 – Washington National Cathedral, Crypt, Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, Southwest Turret Stairway

This is the second window Rowan did for the cathedral and was done just after his first window in 1942 at the age of 16.  There are several interesting things about this window.  First is the glass itself.  It is very thick, faceted glass, that scatters the light.  Rowan and Dieter Goldkuhle used a lot of this faceted glass in the West Rose window because of this ability to scatter light. What is fascinating is that Rowan was experimenting with this at the very beginning of his career. 

Also of note are the little textured dots and cross hatching that are in the frame of the window.  These show up in numerous ways in most all his windows and he said, “they add sparkle.” Finally, in this window Rowan is creating his own font for the text.  He always invented is own fonts and his use of text in many, many windows is worth some study. 

This window is in a stairwell that is not open to the public and so we are pleased to give it some exposure here.

Iconography

The window features the chalice, symbolic of Saint Dunstan’s Coat of Arms. Saint Dunstan was the Abbot of Glastonbury, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and eventually Arch Bishop of London. I In the video below, Rowan recounts his research on this saint.  It is amazing that this interview was done when Rowan was 82 and he is recalling this research from when he was 16.

Year Completed

1942

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Fabricator

Rowan LeCompte

Location In Building

Crypt, Center For Prayer and Pilgrimage (Saint Dunstan’s Chapel), Southwest Turret Stairway (restricted access)