The angel looks upwards while breaking a sword against her body. Her wings surround her upper body like a halo and belie the naturalism of Wilson’s other designs. She is garbed in an uncommon color— a reddish orange. Unnatural tones of blue radiate from her face and the skin of her accompanying cherubs is of a purplish hue, as if all three characters are being threatened by an ominous cloud. The cherubs cower in fear and cling to her protective body. This is a fiercely vigilant angel. Despite the uncharacteristic interpretation and the expanse of time between Wilson’s original 1905 watercolor and the window’s glazing 15 years later, the stained glass version is very faithful to the original rendering.

This window is dedicated to Arthur Frederick Estabrook (1847–1919). As a boy he entered the employ of the Boston banking firm of Brewster, Sweet & Company. After a succession of promotions, he became one of the company’s partners. Estabrook was very active in Boston’s civic life, serving as a trustee and officer of institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Massachusetts Homoeopathic Hospital; the General Theological Library; the New England Conservatory of Music; the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Botanic Garden of Harvard University. He was also a committee member of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Bostonian Society.