''Religious Liberty'' was commissioned by

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish pe ...

and dedicated "to the people of the United States" as an expression of support for the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. It was created by

Moses Jacob Ezekiel Moses Jacob Ezekiel, also known as Moses "Ritter von" Ezekiel (October 28, 1844 – March 27, 1917), was an American sculptor who lived and worked in Rome for the majority of his career. Ezekiel was "the first American-born Jewish artist to r ...

, a B'nai B'rith member and the first American Jewish sculptor to gain international prominence. The statue was high, of marble, and the

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

(base) added another . It weighed , and was said to be the largest sculpture created in the 19th century. It was carved in Italy and shipped to

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

in Philadelphia for the nation's 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. It was later moved to Independence Mall and now (2023) stands in front of the

National Museum of American Jewish History The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman) is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum at 101 South Independence Mall East (S. 5th Street) at Market Street in Center City Philadelphia. It was founded in 1976. History With ...

The meaning of the sculpture

It comprises four figures, the principal one representing the Goddess of Liberty, dressed in
coat of mail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...
and a
mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...
, with a shield, having the American flag in relief on her breast. The Phrygian cap on he head is bordered in front with thirteen stars of solid gold. Her right hand rests upon the fasces, the scroll of the constitution and wreath of laurel; her left is extended in gesture, waving off all interference. Under her protecting right arm stands Faith, symbolized by a nude boy, whose head and right hand are raised appealingly to heaven, and whose left hand holds close to Liberty's breast a vessel in which is burning the undying flame of Religion. At the feet of the Goddess, on her left, is Intolerance, represented by a monstrous serpent, part of the body of which is coiled around the fasces, while its head protrudes with gaping jaws from under the garment of Liberty. With outstretched wings, fierce bearing and its talons buried in the neck of the serpent, is the
American eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
.

Creation of the sculpture

In his ''Memoirs'', Ezekiel described how the block of marble occupied two freight cars, and took twenty men "several days" to move it from the railway station to his studio, the iron chain of a

derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, an ...

having snapped. "A great deal of street paving" was necessary afterwards, to repair the damage. He had to knock down part of a wall to get it in his studio, and break it down again to get it out. When it was completed, which took two teams of stonecutters, one working during the day and one at night, for one day he invited the Roman public to see it. He wrote that it made him famous overnight; one newspaper said that it "was perhaps the most important work of art that had been produced in centuries." It led to Ezekiel's introduction to

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

Financial problems

The commission was for $20,000 (). According to Ezekiel, before obtaining the marble a letter from B'nai Brith informed him that they were unable to raise the money to pay him, and he should abandon the project. Nevertheless, having created the clay model, and this being the first ever Jewish commission for a sculpture, with a guaranteed place at the

, he decided to continue work. He had to borrow money to pay for its transportation to Philadelphia himself. He did not receive payment until three years afterward, and when the loans and interest had been paid there was nothing left for him. Documents concerning the commission are held in the B'nai B'rith archives. A program from the ceremonial unveiling is held by the National Museum of American Jewish History.

References

{{reflist 1876 establishments in Pennsylvania 1876 sculptures Allegorical sculptures in Pennsylvania B'nai B'rith Centennial Exposition Freedom of religion in the United States Marble sculptures in Pennsylvania Nude sculptures in the United States Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia Relocated buildings and structures in Pennsylvania Sculptures of birds in the United States Sculptures of children in Pennsylvania Sculptures of goddesses Sculptures by Moses Jacob Ezekiel Statues in Pennsylvania World's fair architecture in the United States Sculptures of snakes