Stained glass, like all two dimensional art, is ruled largely by two things – color and lines. But when faced with a need to show “white” it can produce awkward results. While I’m genuinely in awe of d’Ogries best work and his line work is flawless, here it’s obvious he struggled with the monastic habit of the two monks shown in the clerestory windows at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA. They depict Father James Otis Sargent Huntington OHC the founder of the Order of the Holy Cross, an Episcopal monastic order, who has been placed in the church kalendar (yes that’s how it’s spelled) and also another well beloved monk of the order, Father Shirley Carter Hughson OHC.
The problem as I see it is the white habit of the order and d’Ogries has chosen various pale greys and taupes that simply don’t work very convincingly, though he has even inserted pinks and blues – a technique he used many times showing out of context color for visual interest.. Additionally he generally avoided flesh toned glass ( for which I salute him), but it might have helped in this case.
Father Huntington holds the monastery building he commissioned from the architect Henry Vaughan which is, I think, still the primary guest house of the order, while behind him to the left is the chapel designed by Ralph Adams Cram. It’s a beautiful place.
Fr Hughson was a prolific writer on sacred subjects so he holds some of his volumes and pen while he stands before the order’s west coast house in Santa Barbara, CA. Both windows are a memorial to the parish’s beloved rector Fr Charles Townsend who died about 1950.
I will give him kudos also for making actual portraits of the monks that avoid appearing odd in his pastiche of 13th c stained glass – it’s usually a disaster.
Many thanks to John Wallace, architect, for the use of his fine photos of these hard to photograph windows.
Valentine d'Ogries 