American

On December 16, 1773, "The Mohawks", followed by about a thousand men, boarded three English ships in the harbor and with hatchets destroyed three hundred and forty-two chests of tea valued at 18,000 francs.  The occasion for their act was the tax imposed upon the colonists.  The sculptor has recreated the scene in a composition that directs attention to the tea chests.

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American

Original in Capitol at Washington

This frieze is one of the several that are interesting as commemorating historic events in the United States.  The Declaration is being presented to the president of the Second Continental Congress in session at Independence Hall, Philadelphia.  From left to right are Franklin, Ellsworth, Adams, Jefferson, and Livingston. 

Trumbull, after serving in Washington's army and in that of Gates, resigned to study art in London.  After conceiving to the idea of historical pictures of the American Revolution, he went to Paris.  There, with Jefferson's advice and assistance, he painted The Declaration of Independence.

In this frieze the sculptor conveys the conflicting emotions of Columbus and his men when they landed in the New World. The conflict is emphasized by means of the contrasts between the figures:  the upward moving lines express exultation; the prostrate figures portray humility and gratitude.  The flag proclaims triumph.

Every artist imbues the landing of the Pilgrims with feeling.  In the frieze the center of interest is famed Plymouth Rock, where the voyagers on "The Mayflower" effected their landing in the New World.  The many lines of movement turn attention upon the enthusiasm of the disembarkation.  The costumes present social interest.

The Landing of the Pilgrims is from an 1854 painting by Peter Frederick Rothermel, (1812–95), in the Kirby Collection of Historical Paintings, at Lafayette College. The painting was reproduced as a print, from which this frieze may have been made. The same image was used on a series of plates by Wedgwood in the late 19th century, and by Crown Ducal on their “Colonial Times” series.

American

Original at Marblehead, Massachusetts

The origin of the painting helps to interpret this reproduction in a frieze.  Willard's "Yankee Doodle" was the forerunner of "The Spirit of '76", the subject being changed from a humorous to a patriotic subject.  In his picture, the painter portrayed his father as the central figure, -mature, yet "vibrant with strong, patriotic enthusiasm".

This frieze is from a painting by Lentze in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Washington is the center of interest in this picture.  At this time Washington's character, fortunes, and desire for "the inestimable blessings of liberty" were in the balance.  After he forces the Hessians at Trenton to surrender, the war assumed a new character; and Washington became a world-figure.

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Italian

Original in Cathedral Museum at Florence, Italy

Between 1431 and 1439 Della Robbia sculpted this singers' gallery to illustrate Laudate Dominum.  "The variety of the composition; the diversity of the types; the naturalistic rendering of the expressions of the youthful singers and musicians, each in accordance with his voice; the rich, yet simple arrangement made possible by the classic style of high relief; and the finished execution of this work in marble would assure it a place among the masterpieces of the Renaissance even were it not for the beauty of the forms and grace of the movements that have given it popularity".