Liberty and the Eagle at Entrance to National Statuary Hall

By Enrico Causici (1817-1819), in Plaster.

Placed between 1817 and 1819, this group originally stood above the Speaker's desk when the House of Representatives met in this space. An American eagle stands to Liberty's right, and the scroll in her right hand is the Constitution of the United States. To her left a serpent, the symbol of wisdom, is entwined around a section of a column.

National Statuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans. The hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, is a large, two-story, semicircular room with a second story gallery along the curved perimeter. It is located immediately south of the Rotunda. The meeting place of the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 50 years (1807-1857), it is now the main exhibition space for the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Photo 129, Nov 2011