The Pediment

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the United States. The main building is an astounding architectural treasure, and its construction began in 1919.  The building has eight pediments which were intended to be adorned with sculpture groups, but only one was completed - this one called "Western Civilization" (1933) by C. Paul Jennewein, with painted terra-cotta figures depicting Greek gods and goddesses. It is a stunning piece of sculpture, as you can see from these two photographs.  I decided to include a close-up so you can see the beautiful detail and brilliant color. Please click on these to see even more detail