The Three Marys

The ventilator below this window is adorned with a gold monogram formed from combining the letters "M” and “R." It is placed on a brilliant blue shield and probably stands for " Mary Regina," that is, Mary, Queen of Heaven. The shield is surrounded by bright red glass and a scrolled pattern of vines and leaves. There is a similar decoration at the top of the window. Just below the apex is a jar, or amphora, that perhaps reflects the following passage from Luke’s Gospel (24:1): "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared... ." An empty vase or jar may also symbolize the body separated from the soul.

The figures of the "Three Marys" appear to look with wonder into the empty tomb. Matthew (28:1-10) states that it was Mary Magdalene and the "other Mary" who went to the tomb and there encountered an angel. Mark (16:1-8) mentions Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome. Luke (24:1-11) mentions two Marys, Joanna, and other (unnamed) women. John (20:11-18) specifically mentions only Mary Magdalene. Thus, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not identified in any of the gospel accounts as being present at the tomb. However, artists and the viewers of their works have employed considerable “artistic license” in imagining what may have been. Some notable examples of “Three Marys” depictions that Burnham might have seen include Giotto's Arena Chapel Fresoes, Nicolas Poussin's drawing of the Three Marys, Fra Angelico's Silver Armory Doors, Hubert Van Eyck's Lenten Cloth, and Carravaggio’s painting of the Entombment of Christ.

In Burnham's vision, the three figures dominate the window, with their elongated, majestic forms facing the tomb. The deep mauve tomb is strongly vertical and extends to the edge of the scene. The verticality is in keeping with the tall, columnar figures of the Virgin and the Mary figure standing behind her. From the tomb, muted gold light is flowing forth, and the women behold its radiance. This scene reflects in part Matthew 28:1-3: "....as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven....His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow."

The Three Marys window was one of the first windows designed by Burnham for Trinity. He stated to Dean Emerson in a postscript to his letter of May 3, 1938:

Under separate cover I am mailing you today my design for the Three Marys window, which I feel is most successful in composition and color.

Nevertheless, the following excerpts show that Burnham’s optimistic opinions of his initial designs were not always shared by Trinity’s administrators. In a letter to Burnham from Dean Emerson dated May 12, 1938, the Dean writes:

I am sending back the cartoon for the Emmaus window which is most satisfactory. I am also returning the Mary window which Mrs. Peterson has accepted. Neither she, nor I, are completely happy with the costume of the Virgin Mary in the picture. You have a lovely green costume with a shoulder drapery in a brownish color that neither she nor I really like. It may be that its (sic) the color to have, but you always associate blue with the Madonna and the only blue you have is that light blue in the headdress. Would it be possible to have her costume in blue, instead of green and the shoulder wrap perhaps in a green or some other color than that dull brown? Tell me what you honestly think about it.

Burnham's answer, written on May 18, 1938, is in part as follows:

Thank you for your letter of May 12 and also for the sketches of the Emmaus window and the Mary window....I have been studying the design for the Mary window, especially the brownish color in the figure of the Virgin. I was rather afraid to use blue in this overgarment, feeling that it might possibly conflict with the blue in the background. It is true that one always associates blue with the Madonna, and I feel sure that when I draw the cartoon, I can arrange it in such a way that if I make the overgarment a light blue, it will not conflict or merge into the blues of the background.

It should be noted that Burnham employed this intense blue background in the windows he designed for Trinity. Emerson replied on May 21, 1938, as follows:

Speaking of the color for the figure of the Virgin in the Mary window. I think your suggestion will improve matters. You see you had a pale green robe and a brown mantle. The green was, particularly, a lovely color, but you wouldn't really associate that color with the Virgin. Then you suggested a light blue for the mantle but apparently leaving the long garment still green. That might work out. I suppose you can't have the light blue in the long garment and a darker color for the mantle. At any rate, with these suggestions I am sure you can work it out.

Burnham in turn replied on May 31, 1938:

Thank you very much for your letter. Regarding the color change in the figure of the Virgin, I think it best to retain the pale green robe and to make the overmantle blue. I am sure that this color arrangement will work out very nicely.

The letter continues and gives evidence of how Burnham worked on this project:

I have been delayed in making the other sketches that you are so anxious to receive; but the fact is that I am now swamped with designs to make, and as I make all of my own designs, it presents quite a problem.

Fortunately, Burnham got his way with the revised color scheme for the Three Marys window. As a result, the three figures with their contrasting complementary colors look vibrant and alive, while at the same time conveying the pathos of the scene. The blue and green colors of the Virgin’s robe are particularly intense, because they are adjacent colors on the color wheel. Juxtaposed next to the blue and green is the bright yellow halo. This halo is so vibrant and dramatic that it draws the viewer's eye directly to Mary. Compared to the three windows in the south transept, the colors appear to almost “pop out” of the three north transept windows. It is as if Burnham wished to show the young Virgin in a softer, feminine mode (south transept) and then contrast her appearance when she is the grieving Mother (north transept). These brilliant colors convey her intensity and emotion.

Burnham also employed brilliant, intense colors and depicted the figures in commanding poses in the two other north transept aisle windows. These devices make the figures in these windows seem larger than those in the opposite transept. The bright red in the borders also brings the viewer's eye to these three windows, in contrast to the more subdued colors that Burnham used to frame the scenes of the Virgin’s early life. All the figures are turned to the viewer’s right with the faces in profile, with the Mother of Jesus holding her left hand to her temple and her right hand down and seeming to hold back the other Mary. The three Marys do not seem afraid. All have perfect faces - no frowns, no wrinkles - and are wearing simple robes with no adornment. It is the colors that make them so regal.

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