The Piper window
The window on the south side of the Baptistry, entitled ‘Nativity’, was designed by John Piper (1903-1992) and made by David Wasley.
It was given to Iffley Church in 1995 by Myfanwy Piper in memory of her huspand
The idea was taken from an Elizabethan wall painting in Shulbrede Priory in Sussex. The Latin words put into the mouths of the birds are: COCK - Christus natus est (Christ is born), GOOSE - Quando? Quando? When? When?), CROW -In hac nocte (On this night), OWL - Ubi? Ubi? (Where? where?), Lamb -Bethlehem! Bethlehem! The sounds of the Latin words resemble the noises made by the animals and birds. Underneath is a line from Christopher Smart: “Let man and beast appear before him and magnify his name together”.
The window has a dual motif. There are the birds and the lamb proclaiming the birth of Christ, and there is the Tree of Life round which they are grouped. The idea that on the night of Christ's Nativity birds and animals gained the power of speech was a widespread medieval legend. The Tree of Life is referred to in the Book of Genesis but also in the Book of Revelation. “On either side of the river there stood a Tree of Life which yielded twelve crops of fruit, one for each month of the year. The leaves of the trees serve for the healing of the nations, and every accursed thing shall disappear.”
Alternatively it may be seen as a window of the Creation. It has an immediate appeal through the passionate intensity of its colours, the slight touch of humour and the joy it expresses in the natural world.
(taken from a leaflet by Ruth Nineham, available in the church)