Freer Gallery of Art Ceiling inspired by the Ruins of Palmyra

Robert Wood's 1753 "The Ruins of Palmyra" inspired the popular neoclassical architecture style in Britain and North America. Its image of an "Eagle Decorating an Ancient Roman Temple" was a model for the Great Seal of the United States, and its depictions of Palmyra’s coffered ceilings shaped the one in the Freer Gallery's north entrance.