The Luther Monument is a public artwork located at
Luther Place Memorial Church
Luther Place Memorial Church is a congregation belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The neo-Gothic church building in Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C., was designed by architects Judson York, J. C. Harkness, and Henry Davi ...
in
Washington, D.C.,
United States. The
monument to Martin Luther, the theologian and Protestant
Reformer
A reformer is someone who works for reform.
Reformer may also refer to:
*Catalytic reformer, in an oil refinery
*Methane reformer, producing hydrogen
* Steam reformer
*Hydrogen reformer, extracting hydrogen
*Methanol reformer, producing hydrogen ...
, is a
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
full-length portrait. It is a copy of the statue created by
Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel
Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel (15 December 180421 January 1861) was a German sculptor.
Life
Rietschel was born in Pulsnitz in Saxony the third child of Friedrich Ehrgott Rietschel and his wife Caroline.
From the age of 20 he became an art ...
as part of the 1868
Luther Monument in
Worms, Germany. The monument was originally surveyed as part of the
Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1993.
Description
Martin Luther stands dressed in long robes with his
proper right
Proper right and proper left are conceptual terms used to unambiguously convey relative direction when describing an image or other object. The "proper right" hand of a figure is the hand that would be regarded by that figure as its right hand ...
leg moving slightly forward. The sculpture, which shows an excommunicated Luther defending himself during his trial before the
Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms of 1521 (german: Reichstag zu Worms ) was an imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City of Worms. Martin Luther was summoned to t ...
in 1521, features Luther resting his proper right hand on top of a large Bible that he holds in his proper left hand. His hair curls around his face and he looks outwards, looking slightly upwards. The sculpture stands on a three-tiered granite base (H 168 in. x W. 138 in.) and is surrounded by sunflowers and overlooks
Thomas Circle.
The back of the sculpture, near the base, is engraved:
E. RIETSCHEL FACIT. GEGOSSEN LAUCHHAMMER 1884
In raised letters on the front of the base along with the founder's mark:
MARTIN LUTHER
Information
''Martin Luther'' is cast from an original mold of a statue by Rietschel which is part of the
Luther Monument, in
Worms, Germany, a group of sculptures installed there in 1868. The version in Washington inspired the installation of eleven other castings across the
United States.
It was installed in 1884.
Condition
This sculpture was surveyed in 1993 for its condition and was decided that treatment was "urgent."
See also
*
List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
This is a list of public art in Ward 2 of Washington, D.C..
This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwork visible inside a museum.
Most of the works mentioned ...
References
External links
Martin Luther on dcMemorials
1884 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.
Cultural depictions of Martin Luther
Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
1884 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C.
Statues in Washington, D.C.
Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
Statues of writers
Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.)
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