Installed: 1899

Memorial name: Guild Memorial Window

Dedicated to: Sarah Crocker Cobb Guild (1831-1898)

Donor: Curtis Guild (husband)

Location: Main floor, left side

The Madonna is depicted in the company of two otherworldly youths, who are similar to the angelic personifications of the Beatitudes in the balcony level windows. Each holds a musical instrument— one a set of pipes, the other a violin and a bow. The Madonna is not a portrait of a specific mother, but an embodiment of the universal qualities of the feminine and of motherhood. She is enthroned by flowers — lilies on the lower left and a vine of passionflowers on the right. The bright magenta accents in the pink blossoms cascading from a flowering tree are an exquisite example of Tiffany’s confetti glass technique. The floral elements encircle the Madonna, forming an oval-shaped halo. The overlapping of figure and flora is emblematic of the spiritual connection between humankind and nature. The border is comprised of a continuous trellis of flora and vines, which is a consistent theme throughout the Arlington Street Church series.

Madonna of the Flowers is the oldest of the Arlington Street Church windows. It was donated by Curtis Guild shortly after the death of his wife, Sarah Crocker Cobb Guild (1831-1898). Curtis Guild was a publisher known for advocating for the preservation of the Boston Common when it was threatened by a local business’ proposal to purchase the land. Their son, Curtis Guild, Jr., served as the Governor of Massachusetts from 1906 to 1909 and the Ambassador to Russia under the Taft Administration from 1911 to 1913.

Glenn Kulbako Photography