US Capitol Bldg.. The Rotunda..

The Rotunda..
96 feet in diameter and 180 feet in height. It connects the House and Senate sides.
Most signifant are..

• The fresco, "Apotheosis of Washington"..
• The Frieze of American History..
• Historical Paintings..
• Relief Panels..
• Statues and Busts
• Statue of Freedom [atop the dome]

Fresco "Apotheosis of Washington"
painted in the true fresco technique by Constantino Brumidi in 1865..
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Coffered ceiling details..

The Frieze of American History..
Painted panorama depicting significant events in American history. The frieze is painted in grisaille, a monochrome of whites and browns that resembels sculpture. It measures 8 feet four inches in height and approx. 300 feet in circumference. The frieze is a work of three artists.. Constantino Brumidi, Fillippo Costaggini and Allyn Cox. The scenes are from the discovery by Columbus to the discovery of gold in California, with emphasis on Spanish explorers and the Revolutionary War..

Historical paintings..
There are eight large historical paintings..
Four Revolutionary Period scenes were commissioned by Congress from John Trumbull..

• Decleration of Independence
• Surrender of General Burgoyne
• Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
• General George Washington resigns his Commission

Four scenes from early explorations..

• Landing of Columbus - by John Vanderlyn..
• Discovery of Mississippi - by William Powell
• Baptism of Pocahontas - by John Chapman
• Embarkation of the Pilgrim - by Robert Weir..

Historical Paintings of Revolutionary Period by John Trumbull..
[right] General George Washington Resigning His Commission..
[left] Surrender of Lord Cornwallis..

Historical Paintings of Early Exploration..
[right] Baptism of Pocahontas - by John Gadsby Chapman
[left] Embarkation of the Pilgrims - by Robert W. Weir, 1934..

Relief Panels..
Four wreathed panels above the paintings frame portrait busts of the early explorers John Cabot, Christopher Columbus, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sieur de La Salle..
In the relief panels above the four entrances are scenes from American colonial history: Conflict of Daniel Boone and the Indians and Landing of the Pilgrims by Enrico Causici, Preservation of Captain Smith by Pocahontas by Antonio Capellano, and William Penn's Treaty with the Indians by Nicholas Gevelot.

Relief panel: Bust of John Cabot..

Relief panel: Landing of the Pilgrims - by Enrico Causici

Relief panel: Preservation of Captain Smith by Pocahontas - by Antonio Capellano

Statues and Busts..
The statues and busts in the Rotunda are primarily of presidents, including a copy of a statue of George Washington by Antoine Houdon. The marble statue of Abraham Lincoln is by Vinnie Ream, for whom Lincoln sat. She was the first woman artist to receive a government commission. Other former presidents commemorated with statues in the Rotunda include Dwight David Eisenhower, James Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Wilson Reagan, and George Washington. The sculpture in the Rotunda also includes representations of Alexander Hamilton and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ref: Capitol Rotunda..

Statue of Freedom.. by Thomas Crawford, atop the dome..
For more, click here..

A plaster model of the statue is at display at the US Capitol Visitor's Center..

Ref: Capitol Rotunda..

RELATED LINKS..

• Two Weeks Summer Vacation [Trip to New York City, Washington DC, New Jersey and Philadelphia]..