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WASHINGTON DC — The ornately decorated domed ceiling of the Main Reading Room in the Thomas ...
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Código da imagem : 3BBKW3D Dimensões : 8.173 X 5.449 pixels Orientação : horizontal |
Data da foto:
15/05/2025 Tamanho máximo não comprimido : 127,4MB |
| Pauta: | WASHINGTON DC — The ornately decorated domed ceiling of the Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress represents the pinnacle of American Beaux-Arts design. Completed in 1897, the 160-foot-high dome features Edwin Howland Blashfield's central painting "Human Understanding," surrounded by twelve figures representing countries and epochs that have contributed to human knowledge. The ceiling includes elaborate gilded moldings, colorful allegorical paintings in the collar of the dome, and personifications of literature, science, and art. This masterpiece of Amer |
| Título: | WASHINGTON DC — The ornately decorated domed ceiling of the Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress represents the pinnacle of American Beaux-Arts design. Completed in 1897, the 160-foot-high dome features Edwin Howland Blashfield's central painting "Human Understanding," surrounded by twelve figures representing countries and epochs that have contributed to human knowledge. The ceiling includes elaborate gilded moldings, colorful allegorical paintings in the collar of the dome, and personifications of literature, science, and art. This masterpiece of Amer |
| Descrição: | Photograph by David Coleman. The domed ceiling of the Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress stands as one of America's most spectacular architectural achievements. Rising 160 feet above the reading room floor, this masterpiece of Beaux-Arts design was completed in 1897 under the direction of architects John L. Smithmeyer, Paul J. Pelz, and Edward Pearce Casey. The dome's focal point is Edwin Howland Blashfield's monumental painting "Human Understanding," which depicts a female figure removing the veil of ignorance, surrounded by twelve seated figures representing the countries and epochs that have contributed to human civilization and knowledge: Egypt (written records), Judea (religion), Greece (philosophy), Rome (administration), Islam (physics), Middle Ages (modern languages), Italy (fine arts), Germany (printing), Spain (discovery), England (literature), France (emancipation), and America (science). Encircling this central composition in the collar of the dome are ten additional allegorical paintings by Blashfield depicting the evolution of civilization, with figures representing different fields of knowledge and human achievement. The dome's structure features elaborately coffered panels adorned with rosettes and gold leaf, creating a rich visual texture that enhances the space's grandeur. Stained glass skylights allow natural light to filter into the reading room, while the dome's interior is further embellished with intricate plasterwork, gilded moldings, and sculptural elements. Supporting the dome are eight massive columns of red Numidian marble with gilded Corinthian capitals, between which are seated female figures representing specific branches of knowledge and learning. This extraordinary ceiling exemplifies the American Renaissance style, which sought to demonstrate that the United States could produce public architecture and art equal to the finest European examples. The Main Reading Room dome remains not only a |
| Coleção: | Alamy |
| Crédito: | David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel / Alamy / Fotoarena |
| Disponibilidade: | imediata |
| Direito de uso: | Royalty Free |
| Autorização do(a) modelo: | sim |
| Autorização da propriedade: | não |
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