Constantino Brumidi Medal

Reverse

The reverse features the central portion of Brumidi's "The Apotheosis of Washington."

Lettering:
ARTIST of the CAPITOL
2008 ACT OF CONGRESS

Engraver: Don Everhart

Designer: Don Everhart

Edge

Plain

Comment

This bronze medal, a duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Constantino Brumidi (1805-1880), recognizes and honors his contributions as a designer of murals in the U.S. Capitol Building. His many accomplishments included:

• Designing and painting murals in the House and Senate wings of the Capitol between 1855 and 1880
• Creating murals in the Senate Reception Room, the President’s Room, the Senate Appropriations Committee Rooms, and the Brumidi Corridors
• Painting his masterpiece, “The Apotheosis of Washington,” in the eye of the Capitol dome and the Frieze of American History around its base
• Creating the first tribute to a Black American in the Capitol Building with the figure of Crispus Attucks, the focal point off his fresco of the Boston Massacre

Brumidi was born in Rome of a Greek father and Italian mother. He came to the U.S. in 1852 and became a citizen in 1857. His life and work exemplify the lives of millions of immigrants who came to this country to pursue the American dream.

Congress authorized the medal on July 1, 2008. It was presented posthumously on July 11, 2012.