The Pediment of the Michigan Capitol Building

Tympanum - the recessed, usually triangular space enclosed between the horizontal and sloping cornices of a pediment, often decorated with sculpture.
Pediment - a triangular space at the end of a gable, especially ornamented.

Pediment: Among the embellishments the Michigan's Capitol commissioners approved in the winter of 1876 were the carvings for the eastern tympanum, or the inner . . .

Left Figure - Agriculture: On the left of the central figure is a seated female who represents agriculture.

Central Figure - Civilization: Lewis T. Ives, of Detroit, produced a rival sketch of a simpler, more direct concept.

Right Figure - Commerce: On the right of the central figure is another female who represents commerce.

History of Wehner and Ives: Mr. Herman Wehner, of Bay City, had already prepared a model for the central figure of the group, by which Michigan is represented by a female figure in Indian costume, casting away the emblems of barbarism, a scalping knife and tomahawk, and taking up civilization and education as emblemized by a globe and collection of books at either hand.