page_title: Mutual Building
section_title: The frieze
hierarchical_section_title: Mutual Building / Features of the building / The frieze
caption_attribution_description: A composite view of the Mitford-Barberton frieze around the Mutual Building, Cape Town
context_page_description: The Mutual Building, in Cape Town, South Africa, was built as the headquarters of the South African Mutual Life Assurance Society, now the "Old Mutual" insurance and financial services company. It was opened in 1940, but before the end of the 1950s—less than 20 years later—business operations were already moving to another new office at Mutual Park in Pinelands; since then Old Mutual has become an international business and their present head office is in London.
  The building is a fine example of art deco architecture and design, and it has many interesting internal features such as the banking hall, assembly room, directors' board room; external features include a dramatic ziggurat structure, prismoid windows, and one of the longest carved stone friezes in the world. It has been said that it provides evidence of the colonial attitudes of the time, and the "ideals of colonial government promulgated by Rhodes in the late nineteenth century".
  The Mutual Building is now converted to residential use, although some parts of the building are used commercially. For example, the Banking Hall and the retail shops that operate outside on the ground level.
context_section_description: Around the three sides of the building facing Darling Street, Parliament Street and Longmarket Street there is a 386 feet (118 metre) frieze depicting scenes from the colonial history of South Africa, reported at its completion to be the longest such frieze in the world.
  It is of interest that, at the time, it was proclaimed that the building was built by South Africans, using South African materials; while the frieze was itself designed by South African, Ivan Mitford Barberton (born in Somerset East, Eastern Cape, in 1896), the work was executed by a team of Italian immigrants led by Adolfo Lorenzi. It has recently come to light that, in the course of the work, Lorenzi's team of masons were incarcerated when the Second World War broke out in 1939, being Italian and therefore regarded  as "the enemy" at that time. They were obliged to finish their work under an armed guard.
  A composite view of the frieze can be seen at the right; unfortunately in this version some portions are missing or obscured by trees in leaf.
  The sections of the frieze are as follows:
  The landing of Jan van Riebeeck
  The arrival of the 1820 Settlers
  The "Post Office Stone"
  The building of the Castle of Good Hope
  The emancipation of the slaves
  Negotiations with Chaka (also known as "King Shaka)"
  The Great Trek
  The dream of Nongqawuse (other spellings are sometimes used)
  Discovery of diamonds at Kimberley
  Erection of a cross by Bartholomew Dias
  Rhodes negotiating with the Matabele
  David Livingstone preaching, healing and freeing slaves
  The opening up of Tanganyika Territory
  The defence of Fort Jesus depicting Arab inhabitants
  A second version of this collage of the complete frieze can be found elsewhere
caption: A composite showing almost all of the frieze in its 15 sections – some portions are missing in this version – click to see a readable version and then choose the "Full resolution" option under the image (but be patient, this is a large file – 1Mb)
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