WASHINGTON DC – die reich verzierte Kuppeldecke des Hauptlesungssaals im Thomas Jefferson Building der Library of Congress steht für den Höhepunkt des amerikanischen Beaux-Arts-Designs. Die 1897 fertiggestellte 160 Meter hohe Kuppel zeigt Edwin Howland Blashfields zentrales Gemälde „menschliches Verständnis“, umgeben von zwölf Figuren, die Länder und Epochen repräsentieren, die zum menschlichen Wissen beigetragen haben. Die Decke enthält kunstvoll vergoldete Formteile, farbenfrohe allegorische Gemälde im Kragen der Kuppel und Personifizierungen von Literatur, Wissenschaft und Kunst. Dieses Meisterwerk von Amer
8208 x 5472 px | 69,5 x 46,3 cm | 27,4 x 18,2 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
15. Mai 2025
Ort:
Capitol Hill, Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States
Weitere Informationen:
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
