Carvings (Indiana State Library)
Encyclopedia
Carvings, is a series of bas-relief
limestone
panels decorating the facade of the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States. The reliefs were designed by artist Leon Hermant and carved by German sculptor Adolph Wolter
in 1934. The panels on the east facade are approximately 80 × 80 × 5 inches, the low panels on the east facade are approximately 18 × 18 × 1½ inches and the classical figures are each approximately three feet by two feet by three inches. The library building was dedicated Dec. 7, 1934.
at portage between the St. Joseph and Kanakakee Rivers. The next panel, "the Soldier," shows George Rogers Clark
and the capture of Vincennes. The next panel depicts the Pioneer followed by a panel depicting the Farmer. Next is a panel depicting the Legislator and the signing of the state constitution; followed by panels of the Miner, the Builder, the Manufacturer, the Educator and the Aspiring Student. Above the ground floor windows, a second set of eight relief panels depict an Indian with a peace pipe, the Trapper, the Priest, the Pioneer, the Plainsman, Invention (a movie camera), Transportation (an airplane) and Arts (an artist with brushes and pencils).
On the south side of the building, individual figures represent: Science, History, Invention and Religion. Figures on the north side represent: Philosophy, Art, Charity and Justice. Above the building's entrance is an owl holding a book open with its proper left claw. On each side of the entrance is a seated female classical figure sitting back to back, each writing on a tablet with her proper right hand.
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
panels decorating the facade of the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States. The reliefs were designed by artist Leon Hermant and carved by German sculptor Adolph Wolter
Adolph Wolter
Adolph Gustav Wolter van R Wolter German born American sculptor, educator and carver. Wolter was born in Reutlingen, Germany. His father was a stone carver and Wolter apprenticed with him before enrolling in the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. In 1922 he immigrated to the United States...
in 1934. The panels on the east facade are approximately 80 × 80 × 5 inches, the low panels on the east facade are approximately 18 × 18 × 1½ inches and the classical figures are each approximately three feet by two feet by three inches. The library building was dedicated Dec. 7, 1934.
Description
The Indiana State Library Carvings are a series of bas-relief limestone panels. Located beneath the cornice line on the east side of the building, ten square relief panels depict the founding and growth of the state of Indiana. The first panel, "the Explorer," illustrates La SalleRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
at portage between the St. Joseph and Kanakakee Rivers. The next panel, "the Soldier," shows George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
and the capture of Vincennes. The next panel depicts the Pioneer followed by a panel depicting the Farmer. Next is a panel depicting the Legislator and the signing of the state constitution; followed by panels of the Miner, the Builder, the Manufacturer, the Educator and the Aspiring Student. Above the ground floor windows, a second set of eight relief panels depict an Indian with a peace pipe, the Trapper, the Priest, the Pioneer, the Plainsman, Invention (a movie camera), Transportation (an airplane) and Arts (an artist with brushes and pencils).
On the south side of the building, individual figures represent: Science, History, Invention and Religion. Figures on the north side represent: Philosophy, Art, Charity and Justice. Above the building's entrance is an owl holding a book open with its proper left claw. On each side of the entrance is a seated female classical figure sitting back to back, each writing on a tablet with her proper right hand.