George Washington is a massive sculpture by Horatio Greenough

Horatio Greenough

Horatio Greenough was an American sculptor best known for his United States government commissions The Rescue and George Washington .-Biography:...

 commissioned for the centennial of U.S President George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

's birth in February 22, 1732.

Description

Greenough modeled his massive (30 tons) figure of “Enthroned Washington” on the great statue of Zeus Olympios

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was made by the Greek sculptor Phidias, circa 432 BC on the site where it was erected in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.-Description:...

 which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the World refers to remarkable constructions of classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among the ancient Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC...

 (and which was destroyed in late Antiquity). The seated and sandal wearing Washington gazes sternly ahead. He is bare-chested and his right arm and hand gesture with upraised index finger

Index finger

The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...

 toward heaven. His left palm and forearm cradle a sheathed sword, hilt forward, symbolizing Washington turning over power to the people at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

.

The rear base of the statue has an inscription, as follows:
SIMULACRUM ISTUD

AD MAGNUM LIBERTATIS EXEMPLUM

NEC SINE IPSA DURATURUM

HORATIUS GREENOUGH

FACIEBAT

The translation is: "Horatio Greenough made this image as a great example of freedom, and will not survive without freedom itself."

History

The U.S. Congress commissioned Greenough to create a statue of Washington for display in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. When the marble statue arrived in Washington, DC in 1841, however, it immediately generated controversy and criticism. Many found the sight of a half-naked Washington offensive, even comical. The statue was relocated to the east lawn of the Capitol in 1843. Disapproval continued and some joked that Washington was desperately reaching for his clothes , then on exhibit at the Patent Office

Patent office

A patent office is a governmental or intergovernmental organization which controls the issue of patents. In other words, "patent offices are government bodies that may grant a patent or reject the patent application based on whether or not the application fulfils the requirements for...

 several blocks to the north. In 1908, Washington was finally brought back indoors when Congress transferred it to the Smithsonian Castle, where it remained until 1964, when it was moved to the new Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...

). The marble Washington has been exhibited on the second floor of the museum since that time.

Popular culture references

• The demigod-like pose of Washington is portrayed in Dan Brown
  Dan Brown
  Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
  
  's best-selling novel The Lost Symbol (2009), in which the author describes a conspiracy theory
  Conspiracy theory
  A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
  
   that claims Washington and the other founding fathers decked out the national capital full of Freemason and other occult symbols. However, the pose was only associated with Freemasonry after the Taxil Hoax
  Taxil hoax
  The Taxil hoax was an 1890s hoax of exposure by Léo Taxil intended to mock not only Freemasonry, but also the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to it.-Taxil and Freemasonry:...
  
  , which falsely linked Freemasonry to Satan worship. The problem with this is that the Taxil Hoax was perpetrated in the 1890s, while the statue was made in 1840.