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Air by Anthony Di Lorenzo
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.
Air
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.

Air

Artist
Year1933
Classification sculpture
Medium limestone
Dimensions24 × 38 in. (61 × 96.5 cm)
Credits Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • In 1933, Anthony Di Lorenzo carved reliefs over six elevators to represent the communication of justice by land, sea, and air at the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. He sculpted this architectural ornamentation under the supervision of Carl Paul Jennewein, who oversaw the sculptural program for the entire building. The two reliefs representing “land” include a book press with bound books on either side. To the left sits an inkwell with a quill, and to the right an oil lamp emits smoke. These objects were crucial to the dissemination of information and therefore symbolize the spread of justice over land. The pair of reliefs depicting “air” show an airplane propeller, engine gear, and an aviator cap with goggles. The two reliefs portraying “sea” similarly adopt a literal representation of the theme. Di Lorenzo includes a ship’s wheel as the central motif with other seafaring symbols around it including an anchor, a rudder, maritime flags, and a pair of binoculars.