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    		• Unknown,
     
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    		• Mythology -- Classical
     
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    		• Emblem -- Coat of Arms
     
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    		• Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis
     
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    		• Architectural component
     
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    		• Sculpture
     
     
    Sphinx, (sculpture).
    Artist: 
    Unknown, sculptor.
    Title: 
    Sphinx, (sculpture).
    Dates: 
    ca. 1929. Installed June 21, 1930.
    Medium: 
    Sculpture: aluminum; Base: cast aluminum and concrete.
    Dimensions: 
    2 sphinx. Each: approx. 12 x 12 x 20 ft.; Base: approx. 12 x 12 x 40 ft.
    Inscription: 
    Founder's mark appears.
    Description: 
    Two sphinx creatures lie with their backs to each other. Each sphinx has a female head with an ancient Greek or Roman helmet, the body of a lion, wings of a bird, and fleur-de-lis of St. Louis emblazoned on its chest. The sculptures are placed atop the courthouse, some 380 feet above ground. The sphinx are mounted on a stepped-pyramid base, with a hand-railing around it. A trap door on the back of each sphinx, allows access to the sculpture's interior.
    Subject: 
    Mythology -- Classical -- Sphinx
    Emblem -- Coat of Arms
    Object Type: 
    Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- St. Louis
    Architectural component
    Sculpture
    Owner: 
    Administered by City of St. Louis, Municipal Courts Building, 1300 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103
    Located Civil Courthouse, Between Tucker Boulevard, 13th, Market & Locust Street, on roof, St. Louis, Missouri
    Remarks: 
    The Civil Courthouse Building cost $4,520,000. It was designed by the architectural staff of the City of St. Louis Plaza Commission and paid for through the issue an 87 million dollar bond. The building was dedicated June 21, 1930 and is a replica of the tomb of Mausolus in Halicarnassus.
    The sculptures are a cross between griffins (half lions, half eagles), and sphinx, with human faces to signify justice. During construction, the two sculptures were named 'Sadie' and 'Sue'. The sculptures and their pyramidal bases act as lightning conductors for the building.
    IAS files contain a list of the building's architects and articles from the St. Louis Times, June 21, 1930; and the Globe (Missouri) Feb. 20, 1933. For additional reading, see Walter B. Stephen and William Butts Ittner's "St. Louis-History of the Fourth City 1763-1909," pg. 777.
    References: 
    Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri survey, 1990.
    Illustration: 
    Image on file.
    St. Louis Times, June 21, 1930.
    Note: 
    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.
    Repository: 
    Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
    Control Number: 
    IAS MO000341
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    Smithsonian AmericanArt MuseumControl Number 
    Inventory of American SculptureMO000341Add Copy to MyList

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