Courtroom Friezes

Information Sheet

This Web page was created 2 Feb. 2006.  It is an unauthorized version of .pdf files in the Supreme Court of the United States Architectural Information Sheets.

The East and West Walls

The architect of the Supreme Court building, Cass Gilbert (1867–1934), selected Adolph A.Weinman (1870–1952), a noted Beaux-Arts architectural sculptor of the period who had studied under Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to design the friezes that adorn the walls of the Courtroom. Weinman's training stressed that a sculpture's subject matter should correlate with the function of the building in which it was to be placed. In this case, he designed friezes portraying both allegorical representations of Law, on the East and West walls, and historical lawgivers, on the North and South walls. It was common practice during this period to allow the sculptor artistic freedom to create art that would fit within the framework of the architect's vision of the building. Thus, Weinman's choice of symbols and figures were his own and reflected his training in the classical and Beaux-Arts traditions.

The East Wall Frieze

The East wall frieze is located directly above the Bench and focuses on two male figures that represent the Majesty of Law and the Power of Government. According to a letter from Weinman to Gilbert, the tablet between them symbolizes the first ten amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights. The allegorical figures standing on either side of the central figures symbolize Wisdom, on the left, and Justice, on the right. Weinman described the figures grouped to the right side as the Safeguard of the Liberties and Rights of the People in their pursuit of Happiness and those on the left side as the Defense of Human Rights and Protection of Innocence (below).



The Defense of Human Rights and Protection of Innocence
Wisdom The Majesty of Law
The Power of Government Justice
Safeguard of the Liberties and Rights of the People in their Pursuit of Happiness

The West Wall Frieze

According to Weinman, the theme of the West wall frieze is the struggle between Good and Evil. In this sculpture, the central female figures, Justice and Divine Inspiration, are flanked by representations of Wisdom, with an owl perched on his shoulder, and Truth, holding a mirror and a rose. Moving to the left from the central figures, the "Powers of Good" are Defense of Virtue, Charity, Peace, Harmony and Security. The "Powers of Evil", moving to the right, are Corruption, Slander, Deception and Despotic Power. Justice, leaning on her sword, has her head turned to keep a watchful eye on the Powers of Evil.



"The Powers of Good"

Security Harmony
Peace Charity

Defender of Virtue
Wisdom Justice
Divine Inspiration Truth

"The Powers of Evil"

Figures entangled with snake, representing Evil
Corruption Slander
Deception Despotic Power

The North and South Walls

Cass Gilbert (1867–1934), architect of the Supreme Court building, selected Adolph A. Weinman (1870–1952), a respected and accomplished Beaux-Arts architectural sculptor, to design the friezes for the Courtroom during 1931 and 1932. Weinman's training emphasized a correlation between the sculptural subject and the function of the building. Gilbert relied on him to choose the subjects and figures that best reflected the function of the Supreme Court building. Faithful to classical sources and drawing from many civilizations, Weinman designed a procession of "great lawgivers of history" for the North and South walls to portray the development of law. Each frieze measures 40 feet long by 7 feet, 2 inches high and is made of ivory vein Spanish marble.

The South Wall Frieze

Weinman's sculpture begins on the south wall frieze with Fame and moves from left to right. Included among the great lawgivers are some allegorical figures whose names are included under the photographs in Italics.



Fame
Menes (c.3200 B.C.) First King of the first dynasty of ancient Egypt. He unified Upper and Lower Egypt under his rule and is one of the earliest recorded lawgivers. Menes is shown in the frieze holding the ankh, an Egyptian symbol for life.
Hammurabi (c. 1700s B.C.) King of Babylon credited with founding the Babylonian Empire. He is known for the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest known legal codes. The first stone of the Code depicts him receiving the law from the Babylonian Sun God.
Moses (c. 1300s B.C.) Prophet, lawgiver and judge of the Israelites. Mosaic Law is based on the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. Moses is depicted in the frieze holding two overlapping tablets, written in Hebrew. Commandments six through ten are partially visible.
Authority
Solomon (c. 900s B.C.) King of Israel and renowned judge. His name, meaning "figure of the wise man," has become synonymous with "judicial wisdom."
Lycurgus (c. 800 B.C.) Legislator of Sparta. Lycurgus is credited with being one of the reformers of Sparta's constitution. He left Sparta after convincing the Spartan leadership not to change his laws until he returned, but he never did.
Solon (c. 638–558 B.C.) Athenian lawgiver. He was appointed archon, an officer of state, and was charged with remodeling the Athenian constitution in 594 B.C. He was instrumental in codifying and reforming Athenian law, often revising the laws of Draco. His name has come to mean "a wise and skillful lawgiver."
Light of Wisdom
Draco (c. 600s B.C.) One of Solon's legal predecessors in Athens. Around 620 B.C., he committed an Athenian code of laws to paper for the first time. His code included many strict penalties and death sentences, often for what seemed to be minor offenses. Thus, the word "draconian," meaning harsh or cruel, is derived from his name.
Confucius (551–478 B.C.) Chinese philosopher whose teachings stressed harmony, learning and virtue. Within 300 years of his death, the Chinese State adopted his teachings as the basis for government. Although officially abandoned by the Chinese government in 1912, Confucianism continues to have an influence throughout the world.
Octavian (63 B.C.–14 A.D.) or Augustus. First Emperor of the Roman Empire. He brought widespread reforms to many facets of Roman life. He supported the concept of using previous opinions of leading jurists to aid in determining new disputes.
History

 

The North Wall Frieze

The north wall frieze proceeds from right to left, starting with Philosophy:



Philosophy
Justinian (c. 483–565) Byzantine Emperor from 527 until his death. He ordered the codification of Roman law and published Corpus Juris Civilis. This work was instrumental in preserving Roman law and encompassed what has become known as the Justinian Code.
Muhammad (c. 570–632) The Prophet of Islam. He is depicted holding the Qur'an. The Qur'an provides the primary source of Islamic Law. Prophet Muhammad's teachings explain and implement Qur'anic principles. The figure above is a well-intentioned attempt by the sculptor, Adolph Weinman, to honor Muhammad and it bears no resemblance to Muhammad. Muslims generally have a strong aversion to sculptured or pictured representations of their Prophet.
Charlemagne (c. 742–814) or Charles I (the Great). King of the Franks and Roman Emperor. Charlemagne was reportedly an avid student who became an eloquent speaker of several languages and supported learning and literature throughout his realm. Under his leadership, most of Western Europe was united by 804 becoming the foundation for the Holy Roman Empire. He was also a reformer of legal, judicial and military systems.
Equity
King John (1166–1216) born John Lackland. King of England from 1199 until his death. His policies and taxation caused his barons to force him to sign the Magna Carta. This document, depicted in the frieze as a scrolled document in his hand, is regarded as the foundation of constitutional liberty in England.
Louis IX (c. 1214–1270) King of France who was canonized as St. Louis in 1297. He led the 7th and 8th Crusades and created the first court of appeals known as the "Curia Regis" or "King's Court."
Hugo Grotius (1583–1645) or Huig de Groot. Dutch scholar, lawyer and statesman. He is depicted holding De jure belli ac pacis (Concerning the Law of War and Peace), one of the first books on international law, which he wrote in 1625.
Right of Man
Sir William Blackstone (1723–1780) English law professor and jurist. He wrote Commentaries on the Law of England (1765–1769), which has had a major influence on English and American law.
John Marshall (1755–1835) Fourth Chief Justice of the United States, from 1801 to 1835. His 1803 opinion in Marbury v. Madison stated that the Supreme Court of the United States had the authority to determine the constitutionality of a law, establishing the power of judicial review for the Court.
Napoleon (1769–1821) Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815. He ordered and directed the recodification of French law into what became known as the Code Napoleon or Civil Code. Published in 1804, this code formed the basis for modern civil law. Napoleon, at St. Helena, is reported to have said, "My glory is not to have won forty battles; for Waterloo's defeat will destroy the memory of as many victories. But what nothing will destroy, what will live eternally, is my Civil Code."
Liberty and Peace
      
Office of the Curator Supreme Court of the United States
Updated: 8/18/2000
All photographs by Franz Jantzen unless otherwise noted. Collections of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Rhode, Chuck. "Courtroom Friezes". 2 Feb. 2006. Lacus Veris. 20 Nov. 2024 <http://lacusveris.com/SCOTUS Friezes/index.shtml>. Last modified 13 Oct. 2024. Served 106 times between 28 Oct. 2024 and 21 Nov. 2024. Contact mailto:CRhode@LacusVeris.com?subject=LacusVeris.