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Catalog Data

Sculptor:
Gregory, John 1879-1958  Search this
Architect:
Wyeth, Nathan C.  Search this
Medium:
Relief: pink granite
Type:
Sculptures-Relief
Sculptures-Architectural component
Sculptures-Outdoor Sculpture
Sculptures
Owner/Location:
Administered by District of Columbia Department of Administrative Services Washington District of Columbia
Located Municipal Center 300 Indiana Avenue, N.W West entrance, east cheek block Washington District of Columbia
Date:
1939-1942
Notes:
Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.
Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 224.
Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1994.
Gregory, John D. (son of artist), 1995.
Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.
Image on file.
Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, F-4.
unsigned
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Summary:
Relief depicting four allegorical figures representing four institutions of urban life: courts, hospitals, business, and sanitation. On the far right side of the relief is a female seated in a chair. She is dressed in loose drapery and a hat, her long, curly hair visible below. She is Maia, mother of Mercury, and she represents the institution of courts. A male figure stands before her dressed in long drapery with a hood in the back. He has a beard and his proper left hand reaches up toward his chin. Under his proper right arm is a crutch with a snake wrapped around it. He is Aesculapius, the god of healing, and he represents the institution of hospitals. Flying off behind him, facing the in the opposite direction, is a figure of Mercury dressed is his customary winged cap. His cape flows out behind him and he looks off to the distance. Mercury represents the institution of commerce and business. Below Mercury is a kneeling female figure hunched over with a cape over her head. Her proper left hand reaches forward toward a pot with a flame inside. She is Vesta, goddess of the hearth, and she represents the institution of the sanitation department.
Topic:
Allegory--Civic--Law  Search this
Allegory--Arts & Sciences--Medicine  Search this
Allegory--Other--Trade  Search this
Mythology--Classical--Maia  Search this
Mythology--Classical--Aesculapius  Search this
Mythology--Classical--Mercury  Search this
Mythology--Classical--Vesta  Search this
Control number:
IAS 76006195
Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_ari_17037