Lady Liberties Symbolism
| The classical appearance (Roman stola, sandals,
facial expression) derives from Libertas, ancient Rome's goddess of freedom
from slavery, oppression, and tyranny. Her raised right foot is on the move.
This symbol of Liberty and Freedom is not standing still or at attention in
the harbor, it is moving forward, as her left foot tramples broken shackles
at her feet, in symbolism of the United States' wish to be free from
oppression and tyranny.[15] Since the 1940s, it has been claimed that the
seven spikes on the crown epitomize the Seven Seas and seven continents.[16]
Her torch signifies enlightenment. The tablet in her hand represents
knowledge and shows the date of the United States Declaration of
Independence, in roman numerals, July IV, MDCCLXXVI. The general appearance
of the statue’s head approximates the Roman Sun-god Apollo or the Greek
Sun-god Helios as preserved on an ancient marble tablet (today in the
Archaeological Museum of Corinth, Corinth, Greece) - Apollo was represented
as a solar deity, dressed in a similar robe and having on its head a
"radiate crown" with the seven spiked rays of the Helios-Apollo's sun rays,
like the Statue's nimbus or halo. The ancient Colossus of Rhodes, one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was a statue of Helios with a radiate
crown. The Colossus is referred to in the 1883 sonnet The New Colossus by
Emma Lazarus. Lazarus' poem was later engraved on a bronze plaque and
mounted inside the Statue of Liberty in 1903. The statue, also known affectionately as "Miss Liberty" (and "Lady Liberty"), has become a symbol of freedom and republicanism. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi also created another "Lady Liberty" which is displayed in Paris, France. |
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