_George Washington/Patriae Pater (Father of Our Country)_ by Adam B. Walter

Collection ID: ART.001306
Type: Art
Date: 1870
Geography: United States
Language: N/A
Medium: Engraving
Dimensions: 25 × 21.25 [JW1.1]in. (63.5 × 54 cm)
Exhibit Location: On View in the Bowden Gallery of Biblical Art, Impact of the Bible in the World

This engraving is based on a painting by Rembrandt Peale, son of Charles Wilson Peale, that leans into the idealization of Washington as a mythical god-like figure from ancient Rome. An oak leaf border symbolizes faith, virtue, and endurance, and a keystone mask of an eagle, a sacred symbol of Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, refers to Washington’s leadership and the classical ideals on which the nation was founded.

Printed in 1870. Acquired by 2019 by Ted Steinbock, private collector, Louisville, Kentucky; Privately purchased in 2020 by Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.