THE FRIEZE OF THE PROPHETS
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´jĕnt).
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.”