Italy - Brumide's Allegorical Painting in Dome of Capitol

Coloured lantern slide of a ceiling painting which adorns the underside of the dome in the rotunda of the United states Capitol. The fresco is called Apetheosis of Washington and was painted in 1865 by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi. It took Brumidi 11 months to complete the fresco.. Part of Box 214, Italy, Boswell Collection. The fresco depitcs the first president of America, George Washington becoming a god. He is surrounded by figures from classical mythology. Washington is draped in purple, a royal color, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the goddess Victoria (draped in green, using a horn) to his left and the goddess Liberty to his right. Liberty wears a red Phrygian cap, symbolizing emancipation, from a Roman tradition where sons leaving the home and/or slaves being emancipated would be given a red cap. She holds a fasces in her right hand and an open book in the other. Forming a circle between Liberty and Victory are 13 maidens, each with a star above her head, representing the original 13 colonies. Several of the maidens have their backs turned to Washington, said to represent the colonies that had seceded from the Union at the time of painting. Upside down above Washington is the banner E Pluribus Unum meaning out of many, one'. Surrounding Washington, the two goddesses and the 13 maidens are six scenes lining the perimeter, each representing a national concept allegorically: from directly below Washington in the center and moving clockwise, War, Science, Marine, Commerce, Mechanics, and Agriculture'. The perimeter scenes are not fully visible from the floor of the Capitol

Picture No

10902437

Media ID

44903382

Size

4278px x 4261px (12.3MB)

Credit

©The Boswell Collection, Bexley Heritage Trust / Mary Evans

Source

Lantern slide

Date

circa 1890s