Netherlands Carillon and Panthers, (sculpture).

Netherlands Carillon and Panthers, (sculpture).

Biks, Joost W. C., architect.

Van den Grinten-Lucker, E., Mrs., sculptor.

Konig, Paul, sculptor.

Petit und Fritsen, founder.

H. T. T. & A. H. van Bergen, founder.

E. Eijsbouts, founder.

Ciftery, Binder-Schmidt, fabricator.

Netherlands Carillon and Panthers, (sculpture).

Installed May 5, 1954. Dedicated May 5, 1960.

Digital Reference:

Carillon: cast bronze alloy, steel, steel plate with bronze baked-enamel finish, lava stone, and glass, painted; Panthers: bronze; Plaza: quartzite or flagstone, and lava stone.

Carillon: approx. 127 x 36 x 25 ft.; Panthers: each approx. H. 6 ft. x L. 12 ft.; Plaza: approx. W. 93 ft. x D. 93 ft. (61,403 lbs.).

(Inside carillon tower:) BELLS FOUNDRIED BY HT.T. & A.H. VAN BERGEN/B. EIJSBOUTS/PETIT & FRITSEN/THE NETHERLANDS BRONZE-CIFTERY/BINDER-SCHMIDT/HOLLAND (Verses by Ben van Eysselsteijn cast on each bell, including, on Antilles Islands bell:) "Islands over the ocean shining in the sun--your wishes, hope and wanting, Antilles, shall ring out in my voice." (Front of carillon tower, raised:) FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE NETHERLANDS/TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES/OF AMERICA (Panthers:) BRONZE-CIFTERY/BINDER-SCHMIDT/HOLLAND unsigned Founder's mark appears.

A forty-nine bell carillon, with verses cast on each bell by Dutch poet Ben van Eysselsteijn, housed within a tower. Each bell is of varying size and has a different relief panel engraved with two coats of arms and symbols of the segment of the Dutch population which donated it. Many of the inscriptions on the bells relate to the efforts of the Dutch to free themselves from occupation during World War II. A rectangular staircase leads to a fenced-in platform from which a small circular staircase winds up to a glass-enclosed playing cabin eighty-three feet from the ground. The carillon is inscribed on the front and is located on a square quartzite plaza with a low lava stone wall. Two abstract bronze panthers or lions guard the plaza steps.

History -- United States -- World War II

Architecture -- Civic -- Tower

History -- Netherlands -- World War II

Literature -- Van Eysselsteijn, Ben

Object -- Musical Instrument -- Bell

Animal -- Panther

Emblem -- Coat of Arms

Ethnic -- Dutch

Outdoor Sculpture -- Virginia -- Arlington

Administered by United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, District of Columbia

Located North of Arlington National Cemetery, off Marshall Highway, Arlington, Virginia

On May 5, 1945, the carillons in The Netherlands rang out the announcement of liberation from the Nazis, and five years later, the Dutch people, in gratitude for war aid, decided to present a carillon to the Americans. The idea for the symbolic gift came from G. L. Verheul, a Dutch government official in The Hague. On May 5, 1954, the carillon was installed in a temporary tower in West Potomac Park, where it was formally accepted by the United States. On May 5, 1960, the fifteenth anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, it was officially dedicated in its new housing and current location. The tower housing the carillon was designed by Joost W. C. Biks. The bells were sculpted by Mrs. E. van den Grinten-Lucker and fabricated by H. T. & A. H. van Bergen, B. Eijsbouts, and, Petit und Fritsen. The panthers were designed by Paul Koning and fabricated by Cietery, Binder-Schmidt.

The carillon can be played manually or by an automatic electronic system. The largest bell or "bourdon" has a diameter of six feet nine inches and weighs 12,654 pounds; the smallest bell is nine inches in diameter and weighs 37.5 pounds. IAS files contain a brochure from the National Park Service.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Virginia survey, 1995.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 191-192.

Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 191, E-8.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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