These are “Music and Harvest” (foreground) and “Aspiration and Literature,” the two “Arts of Peace” statues, which frame the entrance to the Rock Creek Parkway, just beyond the Lincoln Memorial. They were commissioned in 1929, cast in bronze in Italy in 1950, erected in 1951 and gilded in 23.75-carat gold leaf in 2026. Their long history can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arts_of_War_and_The_Arts_of_Peace

I had posted a few drive-by shots of one of these statues as well as one of the “Arts of War” statues situated nearby, at the entrance to the Memorial Bridge, but yesterday we found a place to park and went to see the four sculptures close up. I must say they were pretty impressive!

Watchdog, or dog watching, posted earlier: