Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington
Label Text
The grief of the tearful man and woman approaching the monument is echoed by the weeping willow, a symbol for the sorrow suffered by survivors of the deceased. The woman on the left points to Heaven; the anchor she holds is a symbol of hope in future existence.
Date1801
After
Gilbert Stuart
(American, 1755 - 1828)
Engraver
Thomas Clarke
(active ca. 1797 - 1801)
Subject
George Washington
(American, 1732 - 1799)
Geography
Made -
United States
Medium/TechniqueInk on paper; stipple engraving.
DimensionsOverall: 9 7/8 in. x 9 1/2 in. (25.08 cm x 24.13 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Wilmarth Lewis in memory of her aunt, Annie Burr Jennings, Vice Regent for Connecticut, 1939
Object numberM-1087/B
DescriptionThis print is a circular composition depicting two women, a man, and a monument to George Washington. The monument stands at the right and consists of an obelisk atop a rectangular pedestal. The face of the obelisk displays a winged cherub’s head; a portrait of George Washington, after Gilbert Stuart, in an oval cartouche, with a laurel wreath below. The man and the woman nearest the monument hold kerchiefs to their faces. The woman on the left is an allegorical figure representing Hope, with the index finger of her right hand pointing to the sky and an anchor resting against her leg. A weeping willow arches over the monument, while pine trees fill the remainder of the background.Published ReferencesCharles Henry Hart, Catalogue of the Engraved Portraits of Washington, (New York: The Grolier Club, 1904).
MarkingsPrinted in ink on the monument within the image: “G.Washington / There is / Rest in / Heaven.”
Printed in in on the bottom edge of the image: “T Clarke Sculpt. 1801 Boston”.
Printed in ink below the image: "Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington".
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c. 1808-1812
1800-1805
c. 1820
c. 1796