Mar

The Art of Simplicity: Bonawit’s Grisaille

The clerestory windows designed by G. Owen Bonawit in the nave of Christ Church seem to be one of the least described elements of the church’s artwork. The work was negotiated and subcontracted through architect Oscar H. Murray at Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Associates rather than commissioned directly through George G. Booth. Consequently, there are few documentary vestiges of the artist’s process in our records.

The windows can be studied through other materials held by the Archives, including architectural drawings, photographs, and the records of a window restoration project which commenced in 1993. In 1995, the Thompson Art Glass company made rubbings of the window for the purposes of identifying their care and preservation needs.

Window rubbings by Thompson Art Glass made June 19, 1995. Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives.

Window rubbing by Thompson Art Glass, June 19, 1995. [CCC4.] Window #9 [3 and 4 of 5]. — Window rubbings by Thompson Art Glass made June 19, 1995. Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives.

There are seventeen grisaille clerestory windows in the nave and chancel at Christ Church, which were analyzed as part of this stained-glass restoration project. They are made of clear antique glass upon which minute floral detail is painted and accentuated by the addition of small amounts of colored glass. In the chancel, there are two lancets and tracery of nine panels supported by T-bars including one ventilator panel. In the nave, they are comprised of three lancets and tracery with eight panels, with ventilator panels making up the bottom row.

Detail from Architectural drawing of Christ Church Cranbrook, North Elevation. April 30, 1925. Drawn by J.E.M./Oscar H. Murray, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Architects. [AD.10.33]. Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives.

Grisaille, literally meaning ‘to grey,’ is a type of stained glass that is mostly monochromatic, with a silver or grey tone being painted onto the finished glass. The purpose of the plainness of grisaille is twofold: they let more light into the space both literally and metaphorically in that they were intended to limit distraction from meditation.

The grisaille stained glass style is thought to have originated in French Cistercian abbeys after a prohibition on colored glass issued by St. Bernard of Clairvaux in 1134 in accordance with their charism of simplicity. St. Bernard, the master of paradox, also banned the use of figurative decoration according to the First Commandment of no graven images. Under his guidance, the Cistercians seek the face of God, a theological anomaly that produces an exquisite spiritual discipline and religious practice through which the monk contemplates holiness by virtue of continually recognizing the poverty of their thoughts and feelings when weighed down by seeking to satisfy worldly desire. The style often employs natural or geometric patterns, much like a labyrinth.

The windows can best be observed by sitting in the aisle stalls of the nave, which are in themselves an unusual feature otherwise only found in Oxford college chapels. The walls of the nave were originally intended to display memorials and artwork, but the latter idea was revised due to the objection that it would bring a museum feel to a house of worship.

Aisle stalls in left side of sanctuary. June 23, 1946. Photographer, Harvey Croze. Courtesy of Cranbrook Archives.

Added in 1930, the aisle stalls offer a fine perspective from which to observe the grisaille, and Bonawit’s elegant craftmanship brings with it a history of monastic inspired light. Since a life without beauty is only half lived, the artistic eclecticism of Christ Church offers all those who enter the opportunity to embrace the other half both in its resplendency and in its simplicity.

– Laura MacNewman, Associate Archivist, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research

1 year ago Short URL 1 Comment

Architecture/Archives/Christ Church Cranbrook/Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research/George G. Booth/preservation

Author: Laura MacNewman/Christ Church Cranbrook/church architecture/G. Owen Bonawit/Grisaille stained glass/Oscar H. Murray/Stained Glass

Feb

Birds of a Feather …

“… the Cranbrook Foundation, dealing with things material and visible, rests in turn upon another foundation made up of things invisible – that is, of thought, vision, and ideals… No product of human hands exists which was not a thought before it became a thing.”
Rev. Dr. Samuel Simpson Marquis, “The Laying of a New Foundation for Cranbrook Institutions,” Commencement Address to Cranbrook School, June 6, 1936

The thought, vision, and ideals of George and Ellen Booth endure in the cultural community and architectural landscape that we enjoy today. One of the great joys of working in the Archives is witnessing the documentary heritage which traces the stories of the people, places, and things that contribute to Cranbrook’s history. All record types — from correspondence, financial records, and reports to written and oral memories and reflections — provide a different insight into the process of making an idea a reality. I am particularly fond of architectural records, because it is possible to see the built campus in its earliest form. Cranbrook Archives holds a large collection of architectural drawings for the entire Cranbrook Educational Community, as well as for projects of Cranbrook affiliated firms and architects. The drawings are arranged by division or creator and housed according to their format. One format that is housed separately are detail drawings, which include millwork details and decorative designs. They are pencil on tissue drawings preserved folded in their original envelopes, many for almost a century. I would like to share with you an example of this type of drawing, one that documents the birds sitting atop of the columns of the aisle wall stalls at Christ Church Cranbrook.

View of the aisle wall stalls at Christ Church Cranbrook. Center for Collections and Research.

Finding sources in an archives depends upon the arrangement and description of the collections. Because of their very nature, sometimes a fair amount of detective work is required when the material being described is a visual format. Architectural drawings that have been catalogued are searchable using the Cranbrook Academy of Art library catalog, so the search most often begins there. In my case, a search for the wall stalls at the church returned seven results, none of which refer to the birds specifically. Yet, one of the descriptions suggested that there was great potential that it would include a drawing of the birds and, indeed, that is what I discovered.

Architectural drawing (AD.10.659) Variants for Wall Stalls in Aisles and Paneling at Door #128 and Window #128, March 1930. Cranbrook Archives.

Architectural drawing (AD.10.659), detail of the owl. Cranbrook Archives.

Architectural drawing (AD.10.659), detail of the American robin. Cranbrook Archives.

The discussion between George Booth and Oscar Murray about the design and contract for the stalls began in early December 1929 and the stalls, carved by Irving and Casson, arrived for installation in August 1930. Booth left it to Murray’s judgment as to whether to have a continuous row of the same model for the columns or whether to include the variation. As you can see, this drawing includes two variants of tracery, four variants of corbels, and six of seven variants of birds, including the swallow, quail, dove, cat-bird, owl, and American robin. The seventh bird yet remains a mystery, leaving us something to discover in the future. Discoveries like these, and helping others achieve similar ones, make the job of a Cranbrook Archivist both enjoyable and rewarding.

– Laura MacNewman, Associate Archivist

[Editor’s Note: When this post was first published, the quote was attributed to George Gough Booth. Subsequent research has revealed that it is from an address by the Rev. Dr. Samuel S. Marquis.]

3 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

Architecture/Archives/Christ Church Cranbrook/George G. Booth

Architecture/Archives/Author: Laura MacNewman/Center for Collections and Research/Christ Church Cranbrook/George Gough Booth/Irving and Casson/Oscar H. Murray

May

To See a World in a Grain of Sand…

A recent research inquiry made me curious about the Great West Window, also known as the Women’s Window, at Christ Church Cranbrook.

Bloomfield Hills was sparsely settled when the church was built and, reporting on his visit to Cranbrook in July 1924, the architect Oscar H. Murray speaks of George Gough Booth’s intention to build a community church and school “to form the core around which this new district shall develop”.

The church was a gift to the Bloomfield Hills community from George and Ellen Booth, their five children and their families, all of whom donated to its construction and fabric. The local history of settlement in Bloomfield extends some hundred years before the building of Christ Church Cranbrook; yet its flourishing as a community for families and as a center of cultural activity begins with the church, the first of the original group of Cranbrook institutions. All the artworks at the church are beautiful and unique, but to me, none more so than the Women’s Window.

View of the Great West Window, Christ Church Cranbrook. Jack Kausch, photographer. Copyright Cranbrook Archives

The Women’s Window is the gift of James Alfred Beresford and Florence Booth Beresford. It was designed by James H. Hogan and fabricated by James Powell and Sons, (Whitefriars) Ltd, then based in Wealdstone, London, England. Established in 1680, their insignia is a whitefriar monk wearing a white cowl. Their original location on Fleet Street was in the Whitefriar district where a Carmelite order had once resided. The insignia is included in the Women’s Window, but at just a few inches high, it is impossible to see from the church floor.

The whitefriar insignia of James Powell and Sons (Whitefriars), Ltd on Panel 16 of the Women’s Window of Christ Church Cranbrook. Kevin Adkisson, photographer. Copyright Cranbrook Archives.

The key component of stained glass is silica from river sand. Modern stained glass is made of sand, lime, and soda and is more durable than the stained glass of the middle ages, which used ash instead of lime, making it more susceptible to the elements.

“The coloured glasses used in the making of the window are all the product of the Whitefriars works, in fact what comes to us in the form of sand, leaves us as a work of art in the form of a Stained Glass Window.” Adrian A. Buck, October 31^st, 1927 (1981-01 20:9)

The glass pieces are fitted into cames—H or I shaped lead fixtures—which are then soldered together at the ends to form the design, and the whole window is supported by larger T bars and saddle bars. The Women’s Window stands 19 ½ feet tall and 8 feet wide.

As with most of the windows at Christ Church Cranbrook, the Women’s Window is made of antique glass—this does not refer to the age of the glass, but rather to its method of manufacture. It is hand-made glass using the traditional medieval method of glass blowing, giving it an irregular surface that adds to the effect of jewel tones. Other types of stained glass (cathedral and opalescent) are machine made and do not convey the same vibrancy of antique glass.

The Window’s aesthetic style is Gothic Revival and its coloring is thought to suggest the pre-Raphaelite influence of William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, with whom Powell was acquainted and with whom George Booth found deep inspiration and kinship.

It features 60 women within 16 panels arranged in 4 tiers. Each panel depicts an area of contribution to sacred and secular life, including motherhood, Christ’s associates, early missionaries, early saints, religious orders, American church missionaries, educators, nurses, musicians, artists, poets, novelists, sovereigns, liberators, suffrage workers, and actresses. These panels are mediated by 6 smaller panels, each depicting two angels with shields portraying the fiery cross, the word of God, the mirror of truth, the flame of inspiration, the regal crown, and tragedy/comedy.

Panel 1, Motherhood: Hannah, mother of Samuel; Monica, mother of St. Augustine; the Virgin Mary; Elizabeth with her son, John the Baptist. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 2, Christ’s Associates: Mary, mother of James the Apostle; Mary, mother of Mark the evangelist; Mary Magdalene; Martha, sister of Lazarus; the poor woman who put her mite in the Temple treasury. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 3, Early Missionaries: Pricilla, who helped Paul in Greece; Lydia, who housed him in Galatia; Phoebe, who helped many including Paul at Cenchrea; Dorcas, a benevolent woman of Joppa whom Paul raised from the dead. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 4, Early Saints: Perpetua and Felicitas, both martyred at Carthage, A.D. 202; Agnes, martyred at Rome, ca. 304. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 5, Active in Religious Orders: Teresa(Spanish, 1515-82), founder of the Teresians or Barefooted Carmelites; Catherine of Siena (Italian, 1347-80), a member of the third (lower) order of Dominicans who tended the needy; Hilda (English, 614-82), founder and Abbess of Whitby, famous for her wisdom; Clare, who founded the Poor Clares of Assisi in the XIIIth century. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 6, American Church Missionaries: Mary S. Francis (1847-1937), who worked in South Dakota for 30 years; Julia C. Emery (1876-1916), secretary to the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Board of Missions; Deaconess Bertha Sabine (1844-1931), missionary in Alaska; Anne C. Farthing (1862-1910) of the Alaskan field. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 7, Educators: Maria Mitchell (1818-89), astronomer and Vassar professor; Alice Freeman Palmer (1855-1902), President of Wellesley College; Mary Lyon (1797-1849), who founded Mount Holyoke College in 1836. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 8, Nurses: Dr. Mary E. Glenton (1862-1923), missionary to Alaska, China, and to the African Americans of North Carolina; Florence Nightingale (English, 1820-1910), philanthropist and founder of scientific nursing; Clara Barton (1821-1912), President of the American Red Cross 1881-1904; Edith Louisa Cavell (English, 1872-1915), founder of a Belgian nursing school, who was executed for helping prisoners escape during World War I. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 9, Musicians: Liza Lehman (English, 1862-1918); St. Cecilia, a patron of music, martyred in Sicily, ca. 176; Cecile Chaminade (French, 1857-1944), composer and pianist. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 10, Artists: Vigee Lebrun (French, 1755-1842), painter of portraits; Rosa Bonheur (French, 1822-99), painter of animals; Mary Cassatt (American, 1855-1926), impressionist painter and pastellist; Maria Ann Kaufman, called Angelica (English, 1741-1807). Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook.

Panel 11, Poets: Amy Lowell (American, 1874-1925); Elizabeth Barret Browning (English, 1806-61); Emily Dickinson (American, 1830-86); Christina Georgina Rosetti (English, 1830-94); Emily Jane Bronte (English, 1818-48). Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 12, Novelists: Jane Austen (English, 1755-1817); Mary Ann Evans Cross, called George Eliot (English, 1819-80); Charlotte Bronte (English, 1816-55); Louisa May Alcott (American, 1832-88). Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 13, Sovereigns: Queen Elizabeth I (English, 1533-1603); Isabella (Spanish, 1451-1504) with Columbus whom she helped; Victoria (English, 1819-80). Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 14, Liberators: Lucretia Coffin Mott (American, 1793-1880), active against slavery and for women’s rights; Jeanne d’Arc (French, 1412-31), mystic, military leader and martyr; Harriet Beecher Stowe (American, 1811-96), with slave boy, who greatly influenced the emancipation of African Americans through “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 15, Suffrage Workers: Dolly Madison (1768-1849); Susan Brownell Anthony (American, 1820-1906); Anna Howard Shaw (English-American, 1847-1919); Elizabeth Cady Stanton (American, 1815-1902), who with Lucretia Mott called the first suffrage convention. Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

Panel 16, Actresses: Sarah Siddons (English, 1755-1831); Sarah Bernhardt (French, 1845-1923); Mary Anderson (American, 1859-1940); Ellen Terry (English, 1848-1928). Tom Booth, photographer. Copyright Christ Church Cranbrook 2010.

The women were selected from across history, from biblical times to 1920s, by the Rev. Samuel S. Marquis, the first rector of the church. Inscribed at the base of the window is the verse, “Her children rise up and call her blessed, and her works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:28, 31).

The window has long been beloved by members and visitors to Christ Church. It was also the featured window of the Michigan Stained Glass Census in June 1998. The Women’s Window underwent restoration in 2004-2005 by Thompson Art Glass to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the church. Speaking at the time of its completed restoration, the Rev. Edward L. Mullins remarked that, “when the light shines through it, we see a wonderful picture of the world”.

– Laura MacNewman, Associate Archivist