George Washington as Master Mason, (sculpture).

George Washington as Master Mason, (sculpture).

De Lue, Donald, 1897-1988, sculptor.

Baker, Bryant, 1881-1970, sculptor. (copy after)

George Washington as Master Mason, (sculpture).

George Washington Memorial Statue, (sculpture).

1959. Copyrighted 1959. Dedicated May 21, 1966.

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 6 ft. 6 in.; Base: approx. H. 7 ft. 6 in.

(On rim of sculpture's base:) Donald De Lue/(copyright symbol) 1959 (Front of base, incised:) WASHINGTON (Side of base, incised:) GEORGE WASHINGTON/THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY/FIRST PRESIDENT OF/THE UNITED STATES/1789-1797/FIRST IN WAR/FIRST IN PEACE/FIRST IN THE HEARTS/OF HIS COUNTRYMEN/RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS/DECEMBER 1799 (Other side of base, incised:) OF ALL THE DISPOSITIONS/AND HABITS WHICH LEAD/TO POLITICAL PROSPERITY/RELIGION AND MORALITY/ARE INDISPENSABLE/SUPPORTS/WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS/(Open book:) (Left side:) PSALM (Right side:) CXXXIII signed

George Washington stands dressed in britches with an apron and a medallion decorated with Masonic symbols. He holds a three-cornered hat in the crook of his proper left arm, and a gavel in his proper right hand. He wears an open, buttoned, overcoat, and has a short podium to his proper right. The sculpture is mounted upon a stepped, inscribed base.

Portrait male -- Washington, George -- Full length

Occupation -- Political -- President

Dress -- Accessory -- Jewelry

Emblem -- Masonic

Dress -- Accessory -- Hat

Object -- Other -- Gavel

Outdoor Sculpture -- Michigan -- Detroit

Administered by City of Detroit, Parks and Recreation Department, Landscape Division, 2008 Water Board Building, 735 Randolph Street, Detroit, Michigan 48226

Located Old Mariners Church, Jefferson Avenue, in front, Detroit, Michigan

Formerly located Council House, Detroit, Michigan

The sculpture depicts Washington as the master of his Masonic Lodge in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1788, the year he was elected President of the United States. The sculpture was a gift of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Michigan in commemoration of ten centuries of Freemasonry. The site was once that of Detroit's old Council House, or "Old Indian Council House," chosen because of its historic significance as the birthplace of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Michigan. The artist used Bryant Baker's sculpture "Illustrious Brother George Washington" (see IAS record 76008818) upon which to base the design for his original model (see IAS record 88350035). The original De Lue model was commissioned for the Grand Lodge of Louisiana in 1959, and is located at the New Orleans Public Library. A casting of it was displayed at the Masonic Brotherhood Center at the New York World's Fair.

For related information see: Detroit Free Press, April 20, May 18, and May 22, 1966; Detroit News, May 22, 1966, and March 1, 1984. IAS files contain a related dedication brochure entitled "The George Washington Memorial Statue." IAS files also contain a related section from D. R. Howlett's "The Sculpture of Donal De Lue," Boston: Godine, 1990, pg. 132-133, which discusses the creation of the original Baker sculpture, as well as De Lue's model.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Michigan survey, 1993.

Detroit Historical Museum, City of Detroit Monuments, 2004.

For model see: 88350035.

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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