Serenity - Washington, D.C.
Posted by: 
flyingmoose
N 38° 55.320 W 077° 02.168
18S E 323486 N 4310091
Located along the north western side of Meridian Hill Park.
Waymark Code: WM13WMP
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 03/02/2021
Views: 5
This large sculpture is of an allegorical woman wearing long, flowing classical robes which are tied at her waist. She has long hair and stares intensely in front of her. "Serenity" sits on a rocky ledge with her arms casually resting on the rocks behind her. Her left foot rested on a broken sword.
The sculpture is signed on the proper left side: Jose Clara.
Base inscription:
SERENITY
IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIAM HENRY SCHEVTZE
LIEVTENANT COMMANDER VNITED STATES NAVY
MDCCCLIII–MCMII
Serenity was bought by Charles Deering in Sitges, a town near Barcelona, Spain. Deering had a unique art collection that included many works by Catalan artists. In 1916 he commissioned sculptor Josep Clarà i Ayats (1878–1958) to sculpt a version of Serenity for the main patio of his villa in Sitges, known as Palau de Maricel. However, later changes in the building forced Deering to change his mind so to locate the statue at Meridian Hill Park as a tribute to his friend and classmate from the U.S. Naval Academy – William Henry Scheutze (1853–1902).
The sculpture was dedicated on March 12, 1924. Schuetze was a naval officer from the academy who graduated in 1873 and went on to serve as a navigator on the U.S.S. Iowa during the Spanish–American War. He was active in the U.S. Naval White Squadron in Chicago. Earlier in his naval career (1882-84), as mentioned in President Chester A. Arthur's second State of the Union address (also with Schuetze misspelled per that linked source), he was a lieutenant on missions in the aftermath of the disastrous Jeannette expedition in the Arctic Ocean. Before his death in 1927, Schuetze became president of the International Harvester Company