Relief carvings of the Tetramorph surrounding Christ in Majesty, the tympanum above the central portal
The relief carving of the symbols for the four evangelists surrounds the “Majestus” on the west front. The term tetramorph refers to a grouping of four. This is the work of the sculptor Theodore Barbarossa. It was likely modeled by the firm of Rochette & Parzini, and carved by their head carver, Mario Tommasi. The work was executed in the late 1960’s. The specific grouping of four here represents the four evangelists. Regardless of material – stained glass, mosaics, painting or stone – the symbolic representation of the four evangelists usually accompanies the image of the Majestus.
No doubt, Canon West was consulted on the iconography appropriate to the evangelists. From his book, Outward Signs – The Language of Christian Symbolism, we find the following:
“The four evangelists seem to have been the first of the saints to receive some visible token of recognition, becoming identified with the four ‘living creatures’ of Revelation. Although there was originally little agreement as to which creature represented which evangelist, there has been, since about the fifth century, a popular consensus…St. Jerome’s iconographic representation is now common to the whole church, East and West.”
– Canon Edward N. West
St. Jeromes representation:
Matthew – the face of a man
Mark – a lion
Luke – an ox
John – an eagle
The Pilgrims Frieze
Model for the Pilgrim’s Frieze
The frieze immediately above the great bronze doors of the central portal is also by Barbarossa according to the National Sculpture review. We had previously attributed the design to Canon West and undoubtably there was a collaboration of sorts with the sculptor.
Theodore Barbarossa
Theodore Barbarossa – Image Boris, Boston
Theodore “Ted” Cotillo Barbarossa (1906-1992) studied at Massachusetts College of Art and Yale University. He was a fellow of the National Sculpture Society, and a member of the National Academy of Design. Italian stone carving and plaster casting inspired him. Barbarossa worked in bronze, wood and stone. His work is in churches, museums and public buildings throughout the East Coast. As part of President Roosevelt’s WPA New Deal art initiative, Barbarossa created relief sculptures on post offices and other federal buildings depicting national ideals such as industry, education, and agriculture.
National Sculpture Review, Winter 1971-72
Legendary Locals of East Boston, Dr. Regina Marchi
Tom Fedorek, Senior Guide, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Only known Photo of all Six Piccirilli’s Brothers. L-R Getulio, Horacio, Masaniello, Attilio, Furio, and Ferruccio. Image – Restored by Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Heritage Film Project
Among the immigrants to the United States between 1830 and 1920 were many skilled artists, stone carvers, and sculptors. Italian stone carvers are a case in point. In the latter half of the 19th century many of the Italian quarries started to go out of business due to foreign competition. Since there was less marble being quarried, there was less of a need for stone carvers and the carving sheds began to close. The social, political and economic upheaval in the Italian marble industry spurred immigration.
The economic opportunities in America and elsewhere would allow them to earn four times what they earned in Italy. Many of these men trained as sculptors at the Fine Arts Academies in Carrara, Florence and Rome. To support themselves and their families while they were establishing themselves in the United States, they carved for others. The following are some key events leading from immigration, through the City Beautiful Movement to the end of WWII.
In the 1880’s, first to the Vermont Marble Company in Rutland and then to Barre to work in granite, the quarry owners recruited the Italian stone workers. This occurred throughout the burgeoning stone quarry sites in the U.S. in places like Marble, Colorado and Sylacauga, Alabama.
Novelli and Corti became Barre’s premiere sculpture and carving studio in the 1900’s. Image – Montpelier Times Argus
The Piccirilli Brothers and the Ardolinos
Others settled in large urban areas and these carvers were associated with many wealthy families, sculptors, politicians and architects. Through varying circumstances, the Piccirilli brothers made their way to New York in 1888 followed by their parents and sister. They soon found enough work to pay the rent and sustain the family. In 1912 Attilio won the commission for the USS Maine monument at the entrance to Central Park at Columbus Circle. This provided them the prominence they sought.
At about the same time, the Ardolino brothers and cousins made their way separately to first Boston and then New York. They became associated with ecclesiastical carvings and the architect Bertram Goodhue and the sculptors John Angel and Lee Lawrie. The reredos at St. Thomas Church at 5th avenue and 53rd was by Rafael Ardolino. Various Ardolinos executed a great deal of the carvings at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine from 1910 into the 1940’s.
Other Stone Carving Immigrants
John Evans (1847 – 1923) was a stone carver and modeler. Born in Caernafon, Wales and trained in England, he settled in Boston in 1873. His company employed 100 workers and did architectural sculpture all over the country. He left an indelible mark on Boston’s buildings and monuments. The work was in granite, marble and sandstone. They did work for Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson and were a favorite of architect H.H. Richardson. They executed the work of sculptor Domingo Mora. The firm also did considerable work on the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.
John Donnelly, born in Ireland, the son of a stone carver, came to the United States in 1913. He formed the company John Donnelly & Son. They worked on many buildings in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The Donnelly company carved all of the decorative elements on theNew York City Public library with the exception of the lions (done by the Piccirillis).
John Donnelly carvers working on Corinthian Capitals at the Philadelphia Central Library. Image – Free Library of Philadelphia
Donnelly loved the sailboat races Saturday afternoons but was always worried about the carving job on the Vanderbilt Mansion, so he initiated the halfday Saturday for all of his stone carvers. The tradition carried on after the Vanderbilt job. He also mentioned that in 1890 there were only 320 stone carvers in the country, 140 of them were working for him on the Vanderbilt mansion at 5th Avenue and 55th Street, 80% were British and the rest Germans.
“Though Donnelly’s works were often sculptural, he preferred to be known as a stone mason rather than a sculptor or artist”
– John Donnelly, 80, Stone Carver Dies, New York Times obituary
East Pediment of the U.S. Supreme Court Building, signature of carver John Donnelly
Roger Morigi was born in Bisuschio, Lombardy in 1907. He apprenticed under his stone carver father beginning at age 11. Morigi also studied at the Academia di Belle Arts di Brera in Milan. He immigrated to the United States in 1927 and worked with his father. In 1932 the John Donnelly Company hired Morigi as a carver to work on the Supreme Court Building. He worked for the John Donnelly Company on the majority of the seven Federal Triangle buildings. Morigi began work as a carver at the National Cathedral in 1950, and was promoted to master carver at the National Cathedral in 1956. He held that position for 22 years.
Roger Morigi showing pose he did for fellow carver, John Guarente, who created a gargoyle (upper left) on the Washington National Cathedral in his honor. Image – George Thames/The New York Times
Gino A. Ratti and his son Eddie were a smaller company but nevertheless stood out next to all the others for their artistry and carvings. Ratti was born in Carrara, Italy in 1882. He left Italy in 1907 for the United States. Edward Ratti later worked on the Washington National Cathedral.
Gino A. Ratti, carver, puts the finishing touches on “Contemplating Justice” 1935, United States Supreme Court Building. Image – Library of Congress, Harris and Ewing Photographer
The City Beautiful Movement
The City Beautiful Movement was America’s urban planning movement (1890’s-1920’s). The movement gained ground with the World’s Columbia Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. A temporary city was constructed primarily in the Beaux-Arts style. The concept focused on incorporating a civic center, parks and grand boulevards mimicking European cities. The movement happened at a time when the country’s urban population began to out number its rural population. Most cities were considered ugly, congested, dirty and unsafe.
Administration Building, World’s Columbia Exposition, Chicago 1893. Image – University of Chicago Photographic Archives
Once artists, architects and other visitors returned to their cities after the exposition; they realized it was essential to the public welfare of the people to take heed of the urban landscape. Many American cities embarked on public buildings and art projects in order to beautify their cities. New York, Cleveland, San Francisco, Detroit and Washington, D.C. all began these efforts.
European trained sculptors and carvers were instantly prepared to execute these projects. The immigrant carving families and individuals mentioned above were poised to carry out the many projects.
It should be noted that over time the movement’s short comings came to the fore. It became apparent that improvement of the physical city without addressing social and economic issues would not substantially improve urban life.
The McMillan Plan -1902, Washington, D.C.
At the time, Washington, D.C. was no more beautiful than the average American city, with the exception of factories belching soot on the inhabitants. The McMillan Plan was deeply influenced by the City Beautiful Movement as well as the Louvre-Tuileries complex in Paris and the Whitehall area in London.
Additionally, the McMillan Plan sought to restore and amplify Pierre L’Enfant’s original plan for the city with its formal grandeur influenced by the designs of European cities and gardens.
Pierre L’Enfant’s Plan for the Federal City, 1791
Most of the recommendations of McMillan eventually materialized, mostly before WWII. Appropriations were authorized by the Public Building Act of 1926. $50 million was provided for the construction of the Federal Triangle and a new Supreme Court building and another $25 million to buy up the private land required.
The Federal Triangle
The decorative embellishment of the Federal Triangle was one of the last grand examples of the Beaux-arts principles that had swept the country at the turn of the century. The exterior architectural ornamentation for the seven buildings represented the largest concentrated program of its type ever undertaken by the government. Construction began in 1927 with the final sculptural element installed in 1941. The project’s exteriors consisted of 15 pediments with figurative groups, and at least 65 other designs of varying importance scattered throughout the complex of structures. All told, interior and exterior, there were 112 works by 44 sculptors and a vast industry of modelers, plaster casters, studio assistants and stone carvers. The Piccirilli’s, Ardolino’s, John Donnelly & Son and Gino Ratti all worked on the project. John Evans had passed away in 1923.
The Federal Triangle, 1939 Image – The Washington Star
The National Archives Building
Of the seven buildings in the Federal Triangle, the jewel in the crown is the National Archives building. The architect chosen for the building was John Russell Pope. This was not a grand office building but the visual symbol of America’s heritage and its destiny.
Because of the swampy nature of the site with Tiber Creek running under it, 9,000 pilings were used to shore up the ground, September 1932. Image – Office of the National Archives
Proportionately more was spent on architectural sculpture and decorative detail on this building than any other in the Federal Triangle.
The total cost of the decoration came to $360,000 (roughly $6,212,000 today) Of this sum, $190,200 was paid for the models of the three sculptors, $17,557 for the commercial models, and $152,940 for the stone carving
– George Gurney, Sculpture and the Federal Triangle
John Russel Pope selected 3 sculptors for the work on the building. He selected sculptors he knew and worked with and who he felt sure would carry out his vision. The sculptors also had their favorite stone carvers from past associations. There are two major facades to the building. The south facade and main entrance on Constitution Avenue and the equally important north facade on Pennsylvania Avenue. Each side had three major architectural sculpture features, a large pediment (18’6″ X 106′) and two ground level 10 foot statues.
Rough block of Indiana limestone for one of the statues for the National Archives, 1934. It was brought by train on a specially designed flat car. Image – Stone Journal Magazine
All of the carving was done on site. Carving shed for the pediment above and carving shed for one of the statues below, December 1, 1934 Image – National Archives
South Facade – Constitution Avenue
“Recorder of the Archives” pediment. Sculptor – James Earl Fraser, Modeler – Laura Gardin Fraser, Carver. -John Donnelly Company. Image – Wikipedia Commons
“Guardianship” statue. Sculptor -James Earl Fraser. Modeler – Sidney B. Waugh, Carver – Gino A. Ratti Company, Image – Dana Vera
“Heritage” Statue. Sculptor – James Earle Fraser, Modeler -David K. Rubins, Carver – Gino A. Ratti Company. Image – Jeff Reed, National Archives
North Facade – Pennsylvania Avenue
“Future” Statue. Sculptor – Robert I. Aitken, Carver – Piccirilli Brothers Company.
“The Past” statue. Sculptor – Robert I. Aitken, Carver – Piccirilli Brothers Company
“Destiny” Pediment. Sculptor – Adolph Weinman, Carver – Edward Ardolino Company. Image Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress. Inscribed along the lower edge of the pediment in the left and right corners respectively are: CARVED by EDWARD ARDOLINO and A.A. WEINMAN. Sc.
The fifty years between 1890 and 1940 saw the heyday of architectural sculpture in the U.S. After World War II architectural trends moved to the modern simplicity of glass and steel. These buildings were cheaper and quicker to erect, with little if any sculptural decorations. Young men and women returning from the war, or emerging from civilian war work, were presented with a myriad of opportunities for their professional lives. The supply of stone carvers dwindled as the demand for architectural sculpture wained.
John Connelly died in July, 1947; Edward Ardolino died in April, 1945; Attilio Piccirilli died in October, 1945; Gino Ratti died in 1937. In the most part, their companies did not survive them. When a skill is not taught or practiced it is known to die out within 3 generations. Consider how Dean Morton went to England in the late 1970’s to secure the help of Master Builder Jim Bambridge at the conclusion of the Liverpool Cathedral building. Consider how Bambridge enlisted Chris Hanaway, Alan Bird, Stephen Boyle and Nicholas Fairplay from England to train a new group of New York apprentices in stone cutting and carving.
In this century, several men and women found their way to work and learn in places like Kincannon Studios and Fairplay Stone Carvers. Today young men and women can train at the American College of the Building Arts with Joseph Kincannon.
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The Socioeconomic study exploring the Immigration of Artisan Stone Carvers from Italy to the United States of America Circa 1830-1920, Russ Joseph Morris, The College of Staten Island
John Evans (1847-1923) and Architectural Sculpture in Boston, Ann Clifford, 1992, Tufts University.
