4 John the Baptist

Beal Memorial Window
Signed at lower right corner: Tiffany Studios/New York 1905

Windows 5 and 6 are behind the stairs going up to the balcony.

John the Baptist is portrayed as a heroic figure. Gazing upwards and into the distance, he leans against a rocky shoreline and supports himself with a staff topped by a crucifix form. In his left hand he holds a shell, emblematic of Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of his ministry. The reeds at the lower right, as well as the distant body of water and mountainscape, evoke the Sea of Galilee. An atmospheric sky behind the mountain is enlivened through glass plates patterned with accents of pink, orange, and yellow. In addition to the inclusion of an acanthus leaf at the bottom of each side of the floral border, at the border’s pinnacle there is an oval-shaped opalescent hand-faceted glass jewel insert, reminiscent of an opal. This motif is featured in several windows in the sanctuary’s series.

James Henry Beal (1823-1904) was the President of the Second National Bank of Boston.