Moses Jacob Ezekiel (October 28, 1844 – March 27, 1917)
Virginians should know his name. His works grace the lawns and corners of universities, Arlington
National Cemetery, and numerous museums. Between 1879 and 1884, he created eleven statues of artists, such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Van Dyke, and others that first filled the niches of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in the District of Columbia, but now stand in the Statuary Vista of the Norfolk, Virginia Botanical Garden. His
Bust of Thomas Jefferson (1888) graces our United States Capitol building and his
Jefferson Monument (1901) is at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Ezekiel should be better known for his amazing sculpture entitled
Virginia Mourning Her Dead (1903) which dominates the small cemetery at Virginia Military Institute. Every year, at the foot of this statue, roll call is conducted for the brave cadets who fought—and those who died—at the Battle of New Market. Moses Ezekiel was one of those cadets.
