Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Statue of Freedom

2006-01-12T22:18:07Z

216.139.155.239:

[[Image:Freedom 1.jpg|250px|right|Freedom]]

The '''''Statue of Freedom''''' is a [[bronze]] [[statue]] sculpted by [[Thomas Crawford]], placed atop the [[dome]] of the [[United States Capitol]] in [[Washington, DC]].

''Freedom'' is a female figure who holds a sheathed sword in her right hand and a [[laurel]] [[wreath]] of victory and the shield of the United States with thirteen stripes in her left hand. She wears a helmet adorned with stars and an eagle's head. A brooch inscribed "U.S." secures her fringed robes. She stands on a cast-iron globe encircled with the national motto, ''[[E Pluribus Unum]]''. The lower part of the base is decorated with [[fasces]] and wreaths. Ten bronze points tipped with platinum are attached to her headdress, shoulders, and shield for protection from lightning. The bronze statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 15,000 pounds. Her crest rises 288 feet above the east front plaza.

For many years, most people thought that ''Freedom'' was a [[Native_Americans_in_the_United_States|Native American]] figure because of the eagle feathers on her helmet and the difficulty of seeing her from ground level. Others have mistaken her for a representation of [[Athena]], the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] goddess of wisdom and war.

A monumental statue for the top of the national Capitol appeared in Architect [[Thomas U. Walter]]'s original drawing for the new cast-iron dome, which was authorized in [[1855]]. Walter's drawing showed the outline of a statue representing "Liberty"; Crawford proposed an allegorical figure of "Freedom triumphant in War and Peace". After [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[Jefferson Davis]] objected to the sculptor's intention to include a [[Phrygian cap|liberty cap]], the symbol of freed slaves, Crawford replaced it with a crested [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] helmet.

Crawford was commissioned to design the ''Statue of Freedom'' in 1855 and executed the plaster model for the statue in his studio in [[Rome]]. He died in [[1857]] before the model left his studio. The model, packed into six crates, was shipped from [[Italy]] in a small sailing vessel in the spring of [[1858]]. During the voyage the ship began to leak and stopped in [[Gibraltar]] for repairs. After leaving Gibraltar, the ship began leaking again to the point that it could go no farther than [[Bermuda]], where the model was stored until other transportation could be arranged. Half of the crates finally arrived in [[New York, New York|New York]] in December, but all sections were not in [[Washington D.C.]] until late March of [[1859]].

Beginning in [[1860]], the statue was cast in five main sections by [[Clark Mills]], whose bronze foundry was located on the outskirts of Washington. Work was halted in [[1861]] because of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], but by the end of [[1862]] the statue was finished and temporarily displayed on the Capitol grounds. The cost of the statue, exclusive of installation, was $23,796.82. Late in 1863, construction of the dome was sufficiently advanced for the installation of the statue, which was hoisted in sections and assembled atop the cast-iron pedestal. The final section, the figure's head and shoulders, was raised on December 2, [[1863]], to a salute of 35 guns answered by the guns of the 12 forts around Washington.

In [[1993]], after almost 130 years in place, the bronze statue was brought down from its pedestal for restoration. The work was needed because of extensive pitting and corrosion on the surface of the bronze and because of a crack and rusting on the cast-iron pedestal. The project was guided by the recommendations of a thorough conservation and engineering study conducted in [[1991]]. The [[United States Capitol Preservation Commission]] provided $780,000 in privately raised funds, which covered all project costs.

The plaster model of the statue, which had been in storage for 25 years, was reassembled and restored in the basement rotunda of the [[Russell Senate Office Building]], where it was returned to permanent public display in January 1993. On [[May 9]], 1993, the statue was removed by [[helicopter]].

The cast-iron pedestal was restored in place atop the dome. The metal was stripped of paint, and the wreaths and fasces were removed to ensure that they were thoroughly cleaned and coated. The crack was permanently repaired, and the entire pedestal was primed and painted with a color specially mixed to match the statue.

Restoration of the statue and the pedestal was completed in approximately four months. The ''Statue of Freedom'' was returned to its pedestal by helicopter on [[October 23]], 1993, amidst the congressional celebration of the [[bicentennial]] of the U.S. Capitol.

The head of the statue is depicted on a postage stamp (United States [[Scott catalog|Scott No.]] 573), which is due to be re-issued in 2006.

==External links==
*http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/freedom.htm

[[Category:Outdoor sculptures]]
[[Category:United States Capitol]]

Statue of Freedom

2006-01-12T22:17:31Z

216.139.155.239:

[[Image:Freedom 1.jpg|250px|right|Freedom]]

The '''''Statue of Freedom''''' is a [[bronze]] [[statue]] sculpted by [[Thomas Crawford]], placed atop the [[dome]] of the [[United States Capitol]] in [[Washington, DC]].

''Freedom'' is a female figure who holds a sheathed sword in her right hand and a [[laurel]] [[wreath]] of victory and the shield of the United States with thirteen stripes in her left hand. She wears a helmet adorned with stars and an eagle's head. A brooch inscribed "U.S." secures her fringed robes. She stands on a cast-iron globe encircled with the national motto, ''[[E Pluribus Unum]]''. The lower part of the base is decorated with [[fasces]] and wreaths. Ten bronze points tipped with platinum are attached to her headdress, shoulders, and shield for protection from lightning. The bronze statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 15,000 pounds. Her crest rises 288 feet above the east front plaza.

For many years, most people thought that ''Freedom'' was a [[Native_Americans_in_the_United_States|Native American]] figure because of the eagle feathers on her helmet and the difficulty of seeing her from ground level. Others have mistaken her for a representation of [[Athena]], the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] goddess of wisdom and war.

A monumental statue for the top of the national Capitol appeared in Architect [[Thomas U. Walter]]'s original drawing for the new cast-iron dome, which was authorized in [[1855]]. Walter's drawing showed the outline of a statue representing "Liberty"; Crawford proposed an allegorical figure of "Freedom triumphant in War and Peace". After [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[Jefferson Davis]] objected to the sculptor's intention to include a [[Phrygian cap|liberty cap]], the symbol of freed slaves, Crawford replaced it with a crested [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] helmet.

Crawford was commissioned to design the ''Statue of Freedom'' in 1855 and executed the plaster model for the statue in his studio in [[Rome]]. He died in [[1857]] before the model left his studio. The model, packed into six crates, was shipped from [[Italy]] in a small sailing vessel in the spring of [[1858]]. During the voyage the ship began to leak and stopped in [[Gibraltar]] for repairs. After leaving Gibraltar, the ship began leaking again to the point that it could go no farther than [[Bermuda]], where the model was stored until other transportation could be arranged. Half of the crates finally arrived in [[New York, New York|New York]] in December, but all sections were not in [[Washington D.C.]] until late March of [[1859]].

Beginning in [[1860]], the statue was cast in five main sections by [[Clark Mills]], whose bronze foundry was located on the outskirts of Washington. Work was halted in [[1861]] because of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], but by the end of [[1862]] the statue was finished and temporarily displayed on the Capitol grounds. The cost of the statue, exclusive of installation, was $23,796.82. Late in 1863, construction of the dome was sufficiently advanced for the installation of the statue, which was hoisted in sections and assembled atop the cast-iron pedestal. The final section, the figure's head and shoulders, was raised on December 2, [[1863]], to a salute of 35 guns answered by the guns of the 12 forts around Washington.

In [[1993]], after almost 130 years in place, the bronze statue was brought down from its pedestal for restoration. The work was needed because of extensive pitting and corrosion on the surface of the bronze and because of a crack and rusting on the cast-iron pedestal. The project was guided by the recommendations of a thorough conservation and engineering study conducted in [[1991]]. The [[United States Capitol Preservation Commission]] provided $780,000 in privately raised funds, which covered all project costs.

The plaster model of the statue, which had been in storage for 25 years, was reassembled and restored in the basement rotunda of the [[Russell Senate Office Building]], where it was returned to permanent public display in January 1993. On [[May 9]], 1993, the statue was removed by [[helicopter]].

The cast-iron pedestal was restored in place atop the dome. The metal was stripped of paint, and the wreaths and fasces were removed to ensure that they were thoroughly cleaned and coated. The crack was permanently repaired, and the entire pedestal was primed and painted with a color specially mixed to match the statue.

Restoration of the statue and the pedestal was completed in approximately four months. The ''Statue of Freedom'' was returned to its pedestal by helicopter on [[October 23]], 1993, amidst the congressional celebration of the [[bicentennial]] of the U.S. Capitol.

The head of the statue is depicted on a postage stamp (United States [[Scott catalog|Scott No.]] 573, which is due to be re-issued in 2006.

==External links==
*http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/freedom.htm

[[Category:Outdoor sculptures]]
[[Category:United States Capitol]]

Pontefract Castle

2005-07-26T17:27:28Z

216.139.155.239:

'''Pontefract Castle''' in [[West Yorkshire]] near to the town of [[Pontefract]], was constructed in approximately 1070 by a knight, [[Ilbert de Lacy]] (who is also responsible for the construction of [[Kirkstall Abbey]]), on land which had been granted to him by [[William the Conqueror]] as a reward for his support during the Norman conquests. There is, however, evidence of earlier occupation of the site and initially the castle was a wooden structure, but this was replaced with stone over time. The de Lacys lived in the castle until the start of the next century, when [[Robert de Lacy]] failed to support [[Henry I of England]] during his power struggle with his brother and confiscated the castle from the family.

During 1311 the castle became part of the estates of the [[House of Lancaster]]. [[Thomas, Earl of Lancaster]] (1278 - 1322) was beheaded outside the castle walls six days after his defeat at the [[Battle of Boroughbridge]], a sentence placed on him by the King himself! This resulted in the earl becoming a martyr with his tomb at [[Pontefract Priory]] becoming a shrine. Later [[John of Gaunt]], a son of [[Edward III of England]], was so fond of the castle that he made it his own, spending vast amounts of money improving it. [[Richard II of England]] (1367 - 1400) was also reputedly murdered in Pontefract Castle, possibly in the [[Gascoigne Tower]].

The castle has been a ruin since 1644 when it held as a [[Royalist]] stronghold during the [[English Civil War]] and besieged at least three times by [[Parliamentarian]]; the last of which was responsible for the castle's present dilapidated state and many of its scars. Apparently this last raid had the full support of the surrounding population, who were grateful to destroy the castle and thus stop the fighting in their area. It is still possible to visit the castle's 11th century cellars which were used to store military equipment during the civil war.

See also, [[Pontefract]]

[[Category:Castles in England]]

[[simple:Pontefract Castle]]