George Washington, Marble statue at the National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C., United States.
This imposing marble sculpture stands approximately 3.5 meters tall and depicts George Washington seated in classical Roman attire, with one hand pointing heavenward while his stern gaze commands attention from museum visitors.
Created by Horatio Greenough and completed in 1840, this statue was commissioned by Congress in 1832 to honor Washington during his birth centennial celebrations, originally intended for display in the Capitol rotunda.
The sculpture sparked significant controversy for its unconventional depiction of Washington in semi-nude classical style, challenging 19th-century American sensibilities about appropriate representation of national leaders in public monuments.
Currently housed in the National Museum of American History since 1964, the statue is accessible to visitors during regular museum hours and represents one of the earliest large-scale sculptural tributes to America's first president.
Inspired by the ancient Statue of Zeus at Olympia, this work features a Latin inscription declaring Greenough's vision of Washington as a symbol of freedom that cannot survive without liberty itself.
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