Civic Virtues Which Sustain Society

In 1933, the sculptor Leo Lentelli carved four roundels, or circular reliefs, which were installed above four doorways along a corridor in the U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. Each relief depicts a civic virtue. The imagery was designed by Carl Paul Jennewein, who oversaw the sculptural program for the building. Lentelli completed the carvings, which respectively illustrate the virtues of Public Security, Fair-Mindedness, Public Service, and Public Spirit.

Jennewein’s figures are not portraits of individuals but represent idealized images of the American colonial era. For the Public Security relief, a prison guard, or “turnkey,” locks the door of a jail cell while holding a ring of keys behind his back. A colonial judge, who reads from a legal text by candlelight, represents the virtue of Fair-Mindedness. For Public Service, an armed town constable keeps watch under a streetlamp. Public Spirit depicts a town crier, who rings a bell and delivers a public announcement from a sheaf of paper. Together, the four reliefs emphasize justice and order, which are themes many artists illustrated in their commissions for the building. Lentelli carved the reliefs from plaster and then applied aluminum leaf to achieve a luminous silvery effect. Aluminum leaf, like gold leaf, is produced by pounding the metal into tissue-paper thin sheets that can then conform to sculpted or decorative surfaces. A nearby series of twelve plaster reliefs by Henry Kreis also uses aluminum leaf over plaster. These materials helped unify the sculpture program throughout the building.