The Art Collection

Moses (c. 1350-1250 B.C.) Hebrew prophet and lawgiver. Transformed a wandering people into a nation; received the Ten Commandments.

Napoleon I (1769-1821) Emperor of France. Appointed a commission to draw up the Code Civil, a combination of tradition and Roman law that influenced the legal systems of European and American states during the 19th century.

Papinian (c. 146-212) Roman jurist. Author of fifty-six books about legal questions and decisions, extracts from which were influential in the development of the Justinian Code.

A list of some of the quotations and inscriptions found in the buildings on Capitol Hill.

The Relief Portraits of Lawgivers depict historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principles that underlie American law.

Robert Joseph Pothier (1699-1772) French jurist; author of the Digest of Pandects of Justinian, a classic study of Roman law; author of several treatises on French law, which were incorporated in the French Code Civil.

Saint Louis (1214-1270) King Louis IX of France. Author of the Mise of Amiens, a judgment on a dispute between Henry III and rebellious English barons.

Simon de Montfort (1200-1265) English statesman. Advocated representative government; established an early form of representative government in England.

Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) English jurist. Professor of common law at Oxford; author of Commentaries on the Laws of England, which had considerable influence on the importation and adaptation of English common law in America.

Solon (c. 638-559 B.C.) Athenian statesman. Author of constitutional and legal reforms.

Suleiman (1494-1566) Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Reformed and improved civil and military codes; united a group of unstable territories into an empire.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Third President of the United States. Wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom.