Figure of Justice from US Courthouse, Alexandria, VA
U.S. General Services Administration
Raymond Kaskey’s sculptural rendering of Justice for the U.S. Courthouse fills the main rotunda space with awe-inspiring power and elegance. The classically-derived figure of Justice is blindfolded and holds scales in each hand. The use of scales to represent the concept of weighted consideration of judgment dates back to Roman times. In the 16th Century, artists began to represent judicial impartiality by blindfolding the eyes of Justice. The figure’s body, rising majestically from its pedestal, forms the visual and symbolic balance for the scales. The artwork is meant to stimulate thought about the meaning of justice, and enrich and deepen the experience of those who enter the Courthouse.
Raymond Kaskey was born in 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received degrees in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Kaskey is nationally known for his classic sculpture, and has received numerous awards, including: the Henry Hering Medal from the National Sculpture Society in 1986 for Portlandia, and again in 1993 for the National Law Enforcement Memorial, as well as the Louise Bennett Award from the same Society in 1981. He has received many public art commissions across the United States.
