CHAGALL and Stained Glass

In 1964 Chagall made Peace, a memorial window for Dag Hammarskjöld, the United Nations's second secretary general, who had been killed in a plane crash in Africa three years before. Inspired by passages from Isaiah 9 describing the joys and unity of the heavenly kingdom, Chagall represented the theme of mankind's quest for harmony and peace with images of a mother and child, the prophet Isaiah, and gatherers at the foot of the cross. With its deep blue tones and highlights of yellow and green, this large-scale window creates a space for meditation and reflection within the public lobby of the United Nations Secretariat Building.