Exhibit: Lady of the Hills
In 1938, Sergeant-at-Arms Dwight Dwinell carved a statue of the Roman goddess of agriculture to adorn the dome of the Vermont State House. For 80 years, the statue, now known as Ceres II, stood watch over our Capitol before being replaced in 2018. She has now been welcomed to her new home at the Vermont History Museum as the centerpiece of a new exhibit.
Lady of the Hills explores aspects of all three of Vermont's state house toppers. Remnants of Larkin Mead’s original 1859 statue, carving tools donated by Dwight Dwinell’s family, as well as period photography and information on the current statue are on display in the Governor Richard and Lt. Gov. Barbara Snelling Room, along with the head of Ceres II. The body of the statue will join the exhibit once its conservation & stabilization is complete. The exhibit is complemented by an installation of 19th century portraiture and paintings from the VHS collections.
A special thanks to the Pizzagalli Foundation, the Farm Families of Cabot Creamery Co-operative , and the State of Vermont for making this exhibit possible.
