In 1857, the House acquired this bronze statuette of the Greek artist Phidias and its companion piece, the Athenian statesman Pericles. With work completed on the House’s new wing, furniture, carpet, lamps, and mirrors poured into the building to outfit the most important rooms in full-blown Victorian style. Phidias and Pericles appear in the earliest photographs of the Speaker’s Office, perched on the mantelpiece.
