=Questions to arouse interest.= Who were the “prophets”? How many are
represented in this picture? Relate some incident or event in the life
of any one of them. What book tells about the lives of these men? Of
what benefit were they to the world? How many groups are complete in
themselves? How are the five groups held together to form a single
composition?
=Original Picture=: Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.
=Artist=: John Singer Sargent (sär´j_ĕ_nt).
=Birthplace=: Florence, Italy.
=Dates=: Born, 1856.
=The story of the frieze.= This painting is placed on the third floor of
the Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts, in what is known as
Sargent Hall. The third floor of the library contains valuable
collections of books on special subjects, and to approach these rooms we
must pass through a long, high gallery. This is Sargent Hall, named in
honor of the artist who decorated its walls. At about the time that Mr.
Abbey was asked to decorate the walls of the Delivery Room, Mr. Sargent,
also an American, received a commission to decorate both ends of this
hall or gallery. He was paid fifteen thousand dollars for the work. So
successful was he in pleasing the people, and so much enthusiasm was
aroused, that immediately an additional sum of fifteen thousand dollars
was raised by popular subscription, and Mr. Sargent was urged to
complete the decoration of the entire hall.
The “Frieze of the Prophets” is only a part of the decorations of
Sargent Hall. Mr. Sargent has described the complete scheme of
decoration as representing “the triumph of religion, showing the
development of religion from early confusing beliefs to the worship of
the one God upon the basis of the Law and the Prophets.”
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[Illustration:
_Elijah, Moses, Joshua. The Frieze of the Prophets_
]