WD02 Moses

Donor: The Eccleston Family

Artist unknown, 1879

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WD02 Moses

DESCRIPTION:

Moses garbed in a white robe with a red and blue cloak stands in a colonnaded arch in front of a green tapestry with a blue cloud-bedecked sky above. In his right hand he holds the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets , while with his left arm raised he points skyward. From behind his head shine two rays of light, which are sometimes incorrectly called “horns.” This comes from a mistranslation of the Hebrew word “karan,” which can mean either “radiated light” or “grew horns.” St. Jerome used the latter meaning in his fourth-century when he chose the Latin word “cornutus,” meaning “horned.” This prompted Michelangelo in 1515 to portray his Moses with horns. Above Moses is a domed panel containing a palace on a star-studded blue sky background.

The detail of Moses’ face shows the wonderful detail and quality of the artwork accomplished with vitreous paints fired onto the surface of the glass. The craftsmanship is truly amazing.

Below Moses’ feet is an inscription panel saying: THE LAW WAS GIVEN BY MOSES BUT GRACE AND TRUTH CAME BY JESUS CHRIST

ICONOLOGY:

The palace above Moses represents Jerusalem, the Promised Land, toward which Moses led the Israelites but did not enter.

The predella features the chalice and host, a Eucharistic symbol, flanked by the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, references from three verses in the Book of Revelation representing God as the beginning and the end of all things..

Moses stands on a pavement of pink and green tiles to honor Exodus 24:9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. Not sure why the artist picked pink and green instead of blue, but it was nopt unintentional, because these color tiles are picked up as unifying design elements in the choir window (WD 05), in the Wayfarer Window (WD 09), and in the Vestibule Geometric (WD 16).