The Battle Monument, (sculpture)

Object Details

sculptor

Capellano, Antonio (copy after)

architect

Godefroy, Maximilian ca. 1770-ca. 1837

carver

Hore, Elias

Neale, J. G.

Baughman, S.

fabricator

Attley, W.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MD0026, 1989.

Monumental News, Feb. 1895, pg. 138.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maryland survey, 1992.

Baltimore Sun, Sept. 28, 2013, pg. 4.

Baltimore Sun, October 6, 2013, pg. 2.

Image on file.

CAPELLANO (On base of column, south side:) BATTLE/ OF NORTH POINT/12th SEPTEMBER, A.D. 1814/AND OF/THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES/THE THIRTY-NINTH (On base of column, north side:) BOMBARDMENT OF/FORT McHENRY/15th SEPTEMBER A.D. 1814/AND OF THE INDEPENDENCE/OF THE UNITED STATES/THE THIRTY NINTH (Around top of column, north side:) LEVI CLAGETT/1ST LIEUT. NICHOLSON'S ARTILLERIES (On bands that cross the column: names of thirty-six men who lost their lives in the Battle of Baltimore) signed

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Summary

Standing high atop the monument is a female figure representing Baltimore. She holds a laurel wreath in her proper right hand and a ship's rudder in her proper left hand. She stands atop a large column that resembles a Roman fasces, a bundle of sticks symbolizing power and authority. The binding on the fasces is inscribed with the names of thirty-six men killed during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore.

On the south side of the column is an inscription commemorating the Battle of North Point and above the inscription is a relief depicting scenes from the battle. On the north side of the column is an inscription commemorating the Battle of Fort McHenry and above the inscription is a relief depicting scenes from the battle.

The base of the monument is designed to resemble an ancient Egyptian tomb built with eighteen rows of stone, one row for each of the eighteen states in the Union in 1814. On each corner of the base is a griffin, a mythological animal with the head of an eagle and a body of a lion symbolizing immortality. The base of the monument is surrounded by a wrought iron fence.

1815-1825

Control number

IAS 75005996

Type

Sculptures-Outdoor Sculpture

Sculptures

Medium

Vermont Marble

Owner/Location

Administered by City of Baltimore Recreation and Parks 2600 Madison Avenue Baltimore Maryland 21217

Located Calvert & Fayette Streets Baltimore Maryland

Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums

Topic

History--United States--War of 1812

History--United States--Battle of Fort McHenry

History--United States--Battle of North Point

Figure female--Full length

Allegory--Place--Baltimore

Architecture--Military--Battlefield

Mythology--Egyptian

Record ID

siris_ari_11299

Metadata Usage (text)

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