Masonic Certificate

1796 (printed 1954)

Paul Revere

Associated Names
Paul Revere

Artist, American, 1735 - 1818

This is a drawing of a Masonic certificate. The image features an intricate design with ornate columns on either side, topped by statues. At the top center, there is an illustration of a winged figure holding a ribbon overtaken by a celestial motif, including the sun and clouds. The body of the certificate contains elegant cursive script, with spaces left for names and specifics of the Masonic degree conferred. In the foreground at the bottom, a classical scene is depicted with figures and Masonic symbols such as a square, compass, and an open Bible on an altar with a globe resting on top. The detailed linework and shading give the drawing a formal and grandiose feel.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on wove paper, printed by Herbert Pasternack in 1954

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 34.8 x 25.5 cm (13 11/16 x 10 1/16 in.)
    sheet: 55.9 x 39 cm (22 x 15 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1980.45.1222

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Brigham 1969, pl. 65

More About this Artwork

John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere, 1768, oil on canvas, Gift of Joseph W. Revere, William B. Revere and Edward H. R. Revere, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Interactive Article:  Paul Revere, Artist of the American Revolution

You’ve heard about the revolutionary’s midnight ride. But did you know Revere was a master silversmith and engraver?

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing Julius Rosenwald, bequest to NGA, 1980

Associated Names

Bibliography

1969

  • Brigham, Clarence S. Paul Revere's Engravings. New York: Atheneum, 1969, pl. 65.

Inscriptions

engraved in the lower right: Engraved Printed & sold by Paul Revere. Boston.

Wikidata ID

Q65576085

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