Photo – Peter Swanson

Wheat

1955 – Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter, Baltimore, MD

A pair of windows frame the double doors at the church’s west end; this one features a stalk of wheat, and the other a cluster of grapes.  In this window, Rowan and Irene have created a simple yet striking design with a magical feeling to it.  The variety of reds produces a wonderful contrast with the blue, and there is also a harmony epitomized by the blue glass of the central wheat feature as well as the small circles that permeate the window.  The bubbles in the blue glass seem as if they are floating up toward the surface of a body of water.

Iconography

Wheat, the staff of life, is the basic ingredient of the bread or wafers used in the Holy Eucharist, also known as the Holy Communion or Lord’s Supper. One of the two elements of the Eucharist, the bread itself signifies to believers the Body of Christ.  This pair of windows is appropriately placed to welcome worshipers to the celebration of the Eucharist, which the current Episcopal Book of Common Prayer calls “the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord’s Day.”

Year Completed

1955

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Fabricator

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Location In Building

South Side of West Wall