Axial Commons Image Treasury
Mural study with two arched paintings: a seated woman in blue with a globe and books labeled Science, and a reclining nude woman labeled Art.

The Progress of Civilization: Science and Art (mural study, State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa)

Two oil lunettes on a tan board show allegorical figures: above, a seated woman in a blue robe beside a globe and stacked books; below, a reclining nude woman beside a classical arch. Printed captions read Science and Art, with the text Decorations for Rotunda, Iowa State Capitol, The Progress of Civilization.

Artist
Kenyon Cox
Date
1905-1906
Medium
oil on canvas
Source
Smithsonian (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
Size
1871 × 3000 px
Download full size
Public domain · Smithsonian (Smithsonian American Art Museum) releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1906).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Español: Ciencia y arte: estudio para mural de la civilización

Dos lunetos pintados sobre una tabla color crema muestran figuras alegóricas: arriba, una mujer sentada con manto azul junto a un globo y libros apilados; abajo, una mujer desnuda recostada junto a un arco clásico. Las leyendas dicen Science y Art, con el texto Decorations for Rotunda, Iowa State Capitol, The Progress of Civilization.

Português: Ciência e arte: estudo para mural da civilização

Duas lunetas pintadas sobre uma tábua bege mostram figuras alegóricas: acima, uma mulher sentada com manto azul ao lado de um globo e livros empilhados; abaixo, uma mulher nua reclinada ao lado de um arco clássico. As legendas dizem Science e Art, com o texto Decorations for Rotunda, Iowa State Capitol, The Progress of Civilization.

Maps and Cosmoskenyon coxmural studyprogress of civilizationallegoryscience allegoryart allegoryiowa state capitollunetteneoclassical paintingglobenude figure1900s painting

More from Maps and Cosmos

Grayscale wood engraving of a pictorial map showing the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast with white water channels and hatched land, labeled Atlantic Ocean.Pictorial Map of the Seat of War, Showing Parts of the States of Maryland, Delaware, VirgiWood engraving of three men in a library: two robed clergy at left and center, a seated man in a dark suit at right, with bookshelves, a globe and an easel behind.A Passage from the PapersPastel portrait of a dark-haired woman with a bob, hands resting on a dark glass globe, against a feathery grey and blue background.The Crystal GlobeBlack-and-white printed cotton textile showing classical figures, a rearing horse, a rooster, a camel, urns and drapery among leafy branches.Les Quatre Parties du Monde (Four Quarters of the Globe) (Furnishing Fabric)Pen and ink drawing with gray wash of a chariot and horses in clouds above, with seated figures, lions and putti below on an octagonal sheet.Aurora Heralds the Break of Day to the Four Corners of the GlobeEmbroidered silk sampler map of England and Wales with counties outlined in thread, a seated figure in red at upper right, and sea labels.Sampler (Map)