Blessing Window

Location: Trinity Cathedral, north nave aisle, west window
The Wilbur H. Burnham Studios

The window of Jesus blessing the children is taken from passages in the three synoptic gospels: Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, and Luke 18:15-17. For example, Luke's gospel states "And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus said ‘Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.’ "

The scene of Christ surrounded by children, often accompanied by mothers and infants, and sometimes apostles, was a favorite of artists in northern Europe when it was popularized in the 16th Century. Here, in this vertical composition, Burnham shows a boy kneeling in front of Jesus with his hands raised in prayer, while a girl stands next to him presenting Jesus with a bouquet of yellow and white flowers. Gone is the image of the young boy. Here, Burnham has depicted the adult Jesus. Jesus’ right hand is raised, while his left rests above the head of the girl, thus including both children in a blessing. Behind the girl stands a mother holding an infant, whose hands are raised toward Jesus.

Above all and behind Jesus is a decorative white garland-like motif that likely represents clouds. This woven band separates heaven and earth. Above it is a praying angel, and above the angel's fingers is a star. The star, lighting the darkness of the heavens at night, is a symbol of divine guidance or favor. As messengers of God, angels are winged and have provided artists since the Middle Ages with a convenient image for representing heaven.

The curved figure of the angel, along with the curved representation of clouds, contrast with the strong verticals defined by the figures of Jesus, the children, and the mother and baby. The red hem of the little girl's dress repeats in the red fringed bottom of Jesus' robe. This same bright red color directs the viewer’s eye first to the cloak of Jesus, then to his halo, and then upwards to the brilliant red wings and red halo of the angel. The eye is then further drawn to the red decoration in the apex of the lancet, where there is also a cross on a blue shield.

The mother, standing to the right of the scene, is wearing subdued robes of brown, holding a curly-headed baby dressed in white. The little girl in front of the mother has a blue cloak, and this same blue is again picked up at various places on Jesus' richly decorated garments, thus helping to unify all the figures in this window.

The boy in front is wearing a subtle orange robe with a red border, adjacent hues on the color wheel. This orange contrasts beautifully with the green of Jesus' outer garment. It is Burnham's use of clear, pure colors, along with the complementary hues, that gives intensity to his windows and makes them stand out, unlike the other stained glass in the Trinity windows.

This window is the first in the series of the north nave aisle, which progresses chronologically to the east, directed toward scenes of the Crucifixion. Jesus is facing eastward, thus directing the viewer toward these windows. He is standing on a path with greenery curving on its edge, a motif Burnham used in the Emmaus window.

In the ventilator is another shield with monogram formed by the Greek letters Chi and Rho, the first two letters of Christ. This monogram was adopted by the early Christians as a symbol of Christianity; the combination of these two letters forms a cross.

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The Center for Sacred Landmarks Monograph Series