One of the leading sculptors of the late 19th century, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) is renowned for his grand, heroic, public monuments. French's last great commission was the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC which he began in 1915 and was finally unveiled in 1931, the year of his death.
French's work often included monumental allegorical female figures. In this sculpture the virtues Peace and Vigilance are also depicted as female figures, each identified by her attributes. Peace grasps an olive branch in her left hand, an attribute derived from the book of Genesis and the dove that returned to Noah's ark "with a newly plucked olive leaf in her beak." Vigilance is garbed in an armored ancient Roman-type breastplate and clutches a heavy hilted sword. Both are suggestive of her constantly and watchful nature. The eagle, an ancient Roman symbol of power and victory, is positioned between the two figures, and turns its head toward Vigilance. To protect the surface of the marble from atmospheric pollutants that were contributing to considerable deterioration and surface erosion the sculpture was moved inside in January 1990 and concrete replicas were installed above the exterior entrance.
