George Washington

This c. 1859-62 study for Constantino Brumidi’s The Apotheosis of Washington, hangs in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

“Brumidi was commissioned to paint the ceiling decoration in the rotunda of the United States Capitol, and presented this study to gain approval to begin the monumental work. He chose to paint George Washington in the center of the dome, having ascended to the heavens, looking down upon the visitor. Steeped in classical mythology, Brumidi presents George Washington as Zeus, chief among the Greek gods, flanked by thirteen female figures representing the original thirteen colonies. Six vignettes form the outer edge of the decoration, with allegories pairing Greek gods and goddesses with an aspect of American prowess and ingenuity. Brumidi incorporated current events into his vignettes: at the bottom of this painting, Athena--portrayed as goddess of war--vanquishes the forces of evil, here portrayed by Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, and his vice president, Alexander H. Stephens. The completion of the dome in 1865 came to symbolize a newly reunited America after the Civil War.” -- SAAM

George Washington surrounded by Liberty and Victory (or perhaps Fame)

War 

The Architect of the Capitol says this about the group of figures directly under Washington.

Brumidi was painting the canopy during a tumultuous period in the nation’s history — a single month, April 1865, saw both the surrender of General Lee and the assassination of President Lincoln. At this time, he had finished the center group and was working on the scene below, “War”. Brumidi may have expressed his own political feelings by using the features of the Confederate leaders on the evil figures being vanquished by Freedom: Jefferson Davis as Discord, with two lighted torches, and Alexander H. Stephens as Anger, being struck by a thunder bolt and biting his finger. It is possible to imagine other faces as portraits as well; Brumidi was certainly familiar with the Renaissance tradition of depicting historic or allegorical figures with the features of the artist’s notable contemporaries. -- Constantino Brumidi Artist of the Capitol by Barbara A. Wolanin, Senate Document 103-27, Chapter 9.

Davis and Stephens as the Forces of Evil

Brumidi's plot in Washington's Woodlawn Cemetery has a sign identifying him as “Constantino Brumidi / Artist of the the Capitol / 1805 - 1880”

The plaque on his stone reads:

In Memory of

Constantino Brumidi

1805 - 1880

Italian Refugee

Artist

Fresco Decorator of the Interior

of the United States Capitol

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My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long  enough to make beautiful the  Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty. -- Brumidi,  1835