Description:
Engraving that depicts an obelisk bearing a bust-length portrait of George Washington, under a willow tree on the right; and on the left, a man and a woman grieving before a monument featuring the Washington portrait over an inscription, the female figure at the extreme left (the figure of Columbia) is bearing an anchor as a symbol of hope and has her arm raised pointing to the heavens, all shown in a floral border organized in concentric circles. The background of the print (outside the circle) is patterned like small brick or tesserae. Engraved on the obelisk: "G. WASHINGTON./ There is Rest in HEAVEN."; in the first concentric circle below: "T. Clarke Sculpt 1801 Boston."; and in the legend below: "SACRED to the MEMORY of the ILLUSTRIOUS G. WASHINGTON." The molded frame [perhaps original] has a raised and beaded edge and early glass. The print is significant as an early memorial to Washington that may survive in its original frame. This is a finely executed memorial to the nation's first president. Three figures stand mounring beside an obelisk decorated with Washington's portrait. Over the bust portrait is a cherubim, on either side of laurel branches. There are two known states of this print. The second state has a thicker outer black mourning border (increased from 3/16" to 1/8"), an enhanced title, and some other changes, Thomas Clarke was an American engraver, active from 1797 to 1801.
Tags:
mourning Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+94.008.2 |
