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Light of the Law

Ceiling mural in The Appellate Court of the Illinois Supreme Court Building, Springfield, Illinois, 1907-1911, 16 ft. x 26 ft, oil on canvas

“From the center radiates the Light of the Law, around which cluster graceful figures offering torches to the four groups of figures arranged along the border, each symbolizing a tenet of American jurisprudence: Common Law and the Light of Reason, represented by Alfred the Great; Canon Law and the Light of Inspiration, represented by Pope Gregory IX; Civil Law and the Light of Order, represented by Justinian I; and Mosaic Law, represented by Moses.” 1

1 Allegories of Justice, The Albert H. Krehbiel Murals in the Supreme Court Building of Illinois, cover article by Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson; Journal of the Illinois Historical Society, ISSN 0019-2287, Spring 1984; pp. 2-13