Wood Carving of the Great Seal of the United States
date: label: Date
content: 1982
name: label: Artist
content: Ira Blount
notes: label: Caption
content: In this wood carving, artist and veteran Ira Blount pays tribute to the Great Seal of the United States. Like the national symbol, this features an eagle wielding a shield with thirteen stripes representing the original thirteen states. The bird holds an olive branch in its right talon and arrows in its left one, indicating peace and war respectively. Unlike the official seal, the eagle looks to the right toward war, perhaps a nod to Blount's service during World War II. The carving also lacks the scroll reading E Pluribus Unum (a Latin phrase meaning “out of many, one") and the field of stars.
label: Caption
content: After moving to Washington, DC following the conclusion of the war, Ira Blount mastered dozens of artisanal crafts. His love for crafting, learning, and community engagement would endure over the course of his long life and career.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anacostia Community Museum Collection
creditLine: label: Cite As
content: Gift of Ira Blount
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Anacostia Community Museum
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2011.0004.0020
objectType: label: Type
content: woodwork
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: wood, leather
label: Dimensions
content: 8 × 22 1/2 × 7/8 in. (20.3 × 57.2 × 2.2 cm)