George Washington (Canova)
[1][2] In December 1815, the House of Commons and the Senate of North Carolina unanimously resolved to commission a full-length statue of Washington.[3] The statue ultimately arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 24 and was installed in the rotunda of the state house as part of an official ceremony, attended by Governor Jesse Franklin and the legislature.Colonel William Polk, an officer in the American Revolutionary War, addressed the audience in the dedication speech, comparing Canova to Michelangelo and praising Washington.On June 21, while working to fireproof the building, workers accidentally set the roof on fire while soldering nail heads to the zinc.[10] Trentanove carved four bas-reliefs into the white marble of the pedestal, with each scene depicting an important aspect of Washington's life, as specified by Appleton.