Hammurabi

In 1951, the artist Sidney Biehler Waugh completed four marble sculptures for the recently constructed Elijah Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. Waugh’s sculpture series depicts four men who lived between the 14th century BCE and 6th century CE: Hammurabi, Moses, Solon, and Justinian. Each historical figure was responsible for introducing formational legal codes to their societies. The figures are visually unified by stern expressions, rigid vertical postures, and a shared focal point. Waugh placed them chronologically, from left to right, and elevated them on the wall, so that viewers would gaze upwards in order to see the artworks.