''Peter Muhlenberg'', or ''John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg'', is an 1889

marble sculpture Marble has been the preferred material for stone monumental sculpture since ancient times, with several advantages over its more common geological "parent" limestone, in particular the ability to absorb light a small distance into the surface be ...

depicting the American clergyman, soldier, and politician of the same name by

Blanche Nevin Blanche Nevin (1841–1925) was an American artist and poet. She is considered America's first noteworthy woman sculptor, and is best known for her sculpture of Revolutionary War General Peter Muhlenberg in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Ha ...

, installed in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a c ...

, in Washington, D.C., as part of the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

. It is one of two statues donated by the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The statue was accepted into the collection on February 28, 1889, by Pennsylvania Congressman

Daniel Ermentrout Daniel Ermentrout (January 24, 1837 – September 17, 1899) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district from 1881 to 1889 and ...

. Nevin produced the statue in

Carrara, Italy Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...

, likely utilizing the skilled marble carvers there. Rubenstein in her work ''American Women Sculptors'' calls the statue a “rather effeminate figure in colonial garb,” while Taft in his ''History of American Sculpture'' is less kind, calling the statue “insignificant”.Taft, Lorado, History of American Sculpture, The MacMillan Company, New York, 1903, revised with new matter, 1925, p. 213

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External links

* 1889 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1889 sculptures Marble sculptures in Washington, D.C. Muhlenberg Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. {{US-sculpture-stub

See also

References

External links