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Knowles Memorial Chapel
About the Artwork
Dominating the west wall of the chapel, framed by the organ pipes in the balcony, is the stained-glass Rose Window designed and installed in 1934 by Wilbur Herbert Burnham, the renowned glassmaker of Boston. The banner across the top panel of the window reads “Wisdom is Better Than Strength” - appropriate for the religious center of a college.
About the Artist
Wilbur Burnham
Wilbur Herbert Burnham, born in Boston in 1887, was an artist and master craftsman in stained glass. Recognized as an outstanding authority on his subject, Burnham was commissioned to design windows for churches and cathedrals in the United States and in Europe. Among his most notable works are windows in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, Washington DC, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Riverside Church in New York City, Princeton University Chapel, and the American Church in Paris. Although he died in 1974, the studio he founded in 1922 is still in operation. Located in Rowley, MA, it is operated by his grandson, Mr. Wilbur C. Burnham.
He secured his first commission from Ralph Adams Cram. On tour with his family in Europe prior to the first World War, Burnham sketched famous stained glass windows in many cathedrals. As an advocate of the medieval stained glass tradition, Burnham's philosophical compatibilities with those of the enormously successful Cram led to commissions to provide windows for Cram's churches in many of the major cities in North America. (Temme, 1982-1983)
Burnham's son, Wilbur Herbert Burnham, Jr.(1913?-1984), joined the studios in the late 1930s. His education began as a child on tour with his parents in Europe and was formalized at Yale University, where he received a BFA. The Burnhams were awarded the Metal D'Argent at the Paris Exposition of 1937. Each served as President of the Stained Glass Association of America. Burnham, Sr. was elected in 1939 and during World War II lobbied in Washington to obtain supplies of lead and tin for stained glass artists instead of the cigarette industry, where considerable supplies were directed. Burnham, Jr. served during 1959-1961. Because of failing health, the younger Burnham put the studio up for sale in 1982. When the studio closed, the Smithsonian Institution designated it as one of the four major studios (along with the Charles J. Connick Associates, Nicola D'Ascenzo, and Reynolds, Francis, and Rohnstock Studios) most deserving of having their works preserved. Today, the studio’s records are in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Temme, 1982-1983).
W.H. Burnham, Sr.’s philosophy of the design and crafting of stained glass windows are expressed in a 1935 article in the journal Stained Glass. In this article, he expresses his views about the importance of the medieval tradition in the harmony of the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, with the complementary orange, green, and violet typical of his windows. His studies of medieval windows demonstrated that reds and blues should predominate and be in good balance. People not as knowledgeable overused the color blue. Burnham also noted that windows should maintain high luminosity under all light conditions, with depth of color and amount of pigment useful in controlling glare in variably intense light. Burnham agreed with the concept of unity in multiple windows, which are most easily created when there has been an early, consistent policy by church leaders in collaboration with the designer. Burnham Studio windows in Trinity Cathedral exemplify these qualities.
Did you know?
Two Winter Park art organizations have outdoor sculpture gardens, the Albin Polasek museum and the Crealde School of Art
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