I recently visited First Church in Cambridge with my camera. Looking forward to sharing what I saw. Have a good Friday!
Posts Tagged ‘architecture’
coming soon … tiffany
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, beauty, churches, faith, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass windows, Tiffany on November 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »
the door was open …
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged architecture, art, beauty, faith, Inspiration, ireland, Photography, stained glass, stained glass windows, travel, travel photography on November 4, 2017| Leave a Comment »
… and so we walked into the Church of the Assumption Howth. Howth is a fishing village east of Dublin and easily accessible via DART, the public rail transportation system. We were walking, quite frankly trying to find another destination, when we noticed a church and though there did not immediately appear to be stained glass inside we took a chance and entered. Built in 1899, the church was designed by William H. Byrne. Not every church needs stained glass windows but it was a pleasant surprise to venture far enough inside to see the three apse windows dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The sequence begins with the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she is bear a son.
The next features the Assumption of Mary into heaven, based on text from Revelation 12, her body and soul raised up to heaven.
And finally Jesus placing the crown of Queen of Heaven on Mary’s head. She gazes down on humanity while angels keep watch from a sky full of stars.
A quick, lovely, unexpected visit. You can read more about the village of Howth here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howth
You can learn more about the church here: http://www.howthparish.ie/heritage
new silk scarf
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, beauty, design, fashion, Inspiration, Photography, silk, silk scarves on August 9, 2017| 1 Comment »
It’s actually the redesign of an “old” scarf based on a photograph of the chancel wall at Trinity Church Boston. This scarf is brighter with crisper detail where as the earlier version had more of a soft rosy hue due to light falling from an adjacent stained glass window.
If you’ve not seen it first hand, Trinity’s chancel is hand stenciled with beautiful floral and spiritual details. Its design and decoration is not original to the 140-year old building designed by H. H. Richardson. The original apse in 1877 was much more simple. It was redesigned in the 1930s by Maginnis and Walsh.
This silk scarf featuring the chancel decoration is available exclusively in the Trinity Church gift shop. You can learn more about the chancel on the Art and Architecture page of the Trinity Church website and of course on a tour.
inside arlington street church boston
Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, arlington street church, art, beauty, churches, faith, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass windows, tiffany studios on June 14, 2017| 2 Comments »
detail from sermon on the mount, 1902
It was a quick visit but well worth it to see the interior of Arlington Street Church in Boston. The church has sixteen stained glass windows designed by Tiffany Studios of New York at the turn of the 20th century. Here are details from just a few.
detail from john the baptist, 1905
detail from jesus in the temple, 1903
detail from the good shepherd, 1900-1905
More pictures in the future. View for yourself generally between 10-3. Learn more online at http://www.ascboston.org/about/building.html
The Baptism
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, baptism, beauty, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass, tours on May 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Details from The Baptism, 1877, by Clayton & Bell, the first stained glass window in Trinity Church when it was consecrated in February 1877.
See for yourself- trinitychurchboston.org/visit/tours
translating glass into glass
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, glass ornaments, Inspiration, John La Farge, Photography, Resurrection, stained glass windows on April 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »
I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled to quite a few churches around the world, to glimpse just a bit of their sacred and secular beauty, and I have to say at this moment in my life, John La Farge’s The Resurrection (1902) for Trinity Church in the City of Boston is one that moves me most. It has been a pleasure to work collaboratively with colleagues there and with design companies to identify ways to translate, if only in a tiny way, such beauty in stained glass to items that people might like to take home or share with others.
I still love producing postcards and prints but I think this translation of the image onto a collectible oval glass ornament is especially striking given La Farge’s mastery of designing with the interplay of layered glass, paint and the effect of light always in mind. When you’re in the area, please see the window for yourself by visiting the church. Learn more here: http://trinitychurchboston.org/visit/tours. The oval ornament can be found in the church gift shop.
close up
Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, art, beauty, churches, faith, Inspiration, John La Farge, religion, stained glass windows on February 21, 2017| 1 Comment »
Detail from stained glass window, The Resurrection, by John La Farge (1902) at Trinity Church in the City of Boston.
unconventional growth
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, art, colors, design, indoor gardening, John La Farge, Photography on February 4, 2017| 1 Comment »
There is no vessel in which I will not try to plant seeds. Or a seedling. Maybe a bulb. As a reminder that spring is coming, and to give myself a bit of peace of mind, I’ve decided to do some planting this weekend. I’ve yet to decide what this mug will hold. If it stays in the kitchen, it has to hold something edible. We’ll see … I may sip tea from it as I decide its fate.
The design of the mug was inspired by John La Farge and his decoration of Trinity Church in Boston. The geometric pattern is an adaptation of stained glass found on one of the interior doors. The sun was shining bright the day of the photo. The final pattern was translated onto a mug, magnet, and bookmark that can be purchased at the shop at Trinity Church. You can learn more about La Farge and his decoration on one of the superb guided tours. More information available here: http://trinitychurchboston.org/visit/tours
details from st. paul church, cambridge
Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, art, beauty, churches, colors, design, Inspiration, Photography, religious art, sacred spaces, stained glass windows on January 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »
When walking toward St. Paul Church, the exterior conveys a sense of simplicity as well as sturdiness, which makes sense given that the building’s design is romanesque in style. Its red brick facade blends into the surrounding historic landscape of Cambridge, MA. As it is an active Catholic church, I knew I had a short window of time to take photos before the midday mass. I felt like I had prepared myself to be focused in my photography by reading the in-depth online building tour found on the church website. Still, reading the words can never really prepare one for the actual firsthand experience of stepping into a sacred space.
As noted on the website, “An oblong hall is divided by matching rows of columns, surmounted by a barrel-vaulted ceiling and rounded arches. Since the weight is supported by the walls, the windows are small. St. Paul’s, designed by architect Edward Graham, is modeled after the Church of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona, Italy.”
I was ready to deal with “small windows.” I was caught off guard by the beauty of the encompassing friezes and statues.
Eventually my attention did return to the windows, of course. There are three stained glass windows near the choir stalls including John the Baptist, St. Elizabeth (his mother) and St. John the Evangelist.
John the Baptist
The windows are narrow but their content looms large like these windows tucked in an alcove.
There are 10 windows in the lower part of the nave patterned after Renaissance images of the saints …
St. Jerome
… and windows up high. Way up high.
These upper story windows were hardest to see but they glowed in the late morning light.
The church is an unexpected riot of color softened by the surrounding wood and marble. I’ve passed by the church for many years without ever stepping inside. I’m grateful to the staff for allowing me entry to photograph this very special place. You can read more about the interior of this historic building and find links for more information about its parish activities here: http://stpaulparish.org/building-tour/
detail from la farge’s presentation of the virgin
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, beauty, Charles McKiim, Inspiration, John La Farge, religious art, stained glass windows on November 21, 2016| 4 Comments »
Detail from Presentation of the Virgin (after Titian) by John La Farge, 1888
At Trinity Church in the City of Boston, there is the stained glass window, Faith, by Burlison & Grylls of London, installed in 1877-1878. It was given in memory of Charles Hook Appleton and Isabella Mason by their teenaged daughters Julia and Marian Alice, known as The Appleton Sisters. The two sisters were extremely close. They lived together on Beacon Street and purchased adjoining property in Lenox, MA.
Julia and Marian Alice Appleton
Eventually, the oldest daughter Julia would meet and marry noted architect Charles McKim, a colleague and friend of the artist John La Farge. Sister Alice would marry George Von Lengerke Meyer. As did many families of their social circle the McKims traveled extensively and often throughout Europe. In Venice they visited the galleries and in that city one of Julia’s favorite paintings was Titian’s Presentation of the Virgin, 1534-1538.
In 1887, Julia would unexpectedly die during childbirth. The grieving McKim, along with sister Alice, would commission John La Farge to create a window in Julia’s memory. La Farge would select as focus a small portion of Titian’s large canvas. The window would be designed and completed within five months.
The window depicts a young girl climbing steps and symbolizes Julia’s climb toward heaven. Below this image and considered separate from the story is the image of an angel playing a musical instrument. It is a spectacular window at any time of day but especially when the sun is shining just right through the opalescent and painted glass. For this series of images, that perfect time was approximately 1pm on a sunny day.
La Farge’s early sketch can be found at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the actual window is located on the south wall of Trinity Church located in Boston’s Copley Square.
Sources & Additional Reading
http://library.bc.edu/lafargeglass/exhibits/show/descriptions/all-saints/trinity-boston
Words + Images 