In Between, with Samuel Yellin

Among the great glories at Washington National Cathedral is one of the most amazing collections of 20th century wrought iron to be found anywhere in the world. That collection is anchored on the incredible work of one Samuel Yellin, considered by many to be among the greatest wrought iron artists in all of human history. Yellin, who lived from 1885-1940, was known in the metalworking industry as “Devil with a hammer”, both for his incredible skill and for his sense of humor. At Washington National Cathedral, Yellin was afforded the opportunities of immense scale and produced many noteworthy works of art. The gates to Holy Spirit Chapel are considered his masterpiece, and, perhaps, the pinnacle of his career. For me, of all Yellin’s work at Washington National Cathedral, my favorite is a screen between St. Mary’s Chapel in the north choir aisle, and Holy Spirit Chapel, situated where the choir meets the north transept. This screen is obscured on the Holy Spirit Chapel side by a hanging tapestry, but is seen from the St. Mary’s Chapel side, backed by the flat, tan backing of the tapestry. It is a design wonder.

The St. Mary’s Chapel screen is simpler, in many ways, than some of the more highly acclaimed Yellin works in the cathedral. While the Holy Spirit Chapel gates, and the gates to Children’s Chapel are marvels of complex, detailed, representative imagery, the St. Mary’s Chapel screen combines simple, bold strokes with a design genius that, for me, rivals the creativity of M.C. Escher. Look briefly at the picture below, and then quickly continue on to the next text.

St. Mary’s Chapel screen at Washington National Cathedral

When you looked at the picture, what figure did you notice first? Did you see a screen of large, four-leaf clover shapes, or a screen of eight-pointed star shapes? I wonder if we could analyze a person’s personality, based on what they saw first? Anyway… In the visual language of Christian art, the quatrefoil, or four-leafed clover shape, is, of course, representative of the cross, and, therefore, representative of Jesus. The star is an artistic attribute representing Mary, the mother of Jesus; the St. Mary, to whom the chapel is dedicated. In bold iron strokes, the two images interlock in an incredible, one-and-the-same design. The depth of suggestion continues, as, at the heart of each quatrefoil, at each intersection of the larger, grid-like framework, Yellin has placed a decorative, five-pointed star; Mary again, and this time at the heart of the Jesus suggestion. Even further, among the clever artistic references in this incredible screen, is the fact that each of the larger, eight-pointed stars is constructed of four Ms, turned head-in. Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary. Awesome.

Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary

While I am really most amazed by the design in the St. Mary’s Chapel screen grillwork, I must also mention the beautiful flowers and spirals of the decorative, horizontal band that runs across the screen at waist height. The spirals add a delicate counterpoint to the bold strokes of the larger grillwork, and, even as I’m writing and viewing the pictures myself, I see that what seem to be flowers at the ends of the spirals are, more likely, stylized fleur-de-lis, another Christian art attribute commonly referring to Mary.

Fleur-de-lis?

Among the great glories of Washington National Cathedral, how many people stop to consider this one, seemingly non-descript screen? On the north side of the north choir aisle things can get a little dark, and most passers-by will be understandably distracted by the 500 year-old, David and Goliath tapestries. Nonetheless, in this one architectural device, a screen between two chapels, there is a richness and depth of meaning and detail that speak of faith, of the interconnected-ness of everything, and of the wonder of God to be found in the heart, mind and hands of a profoundly gifted artist. What did you see first, a cross or a star? They’re both always there, come find them for yourself sometime.

In between, with Samuel Yellin