Relief sculpture of St. John by Salvatore Cartiano Scarpitta in St. John's Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, circa 1925-1939

Item Overview

Title

Relief sculpture of St. John by Salvatore Cartiano Scarpitta in St. John's Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, circa 1925-1939

Architect

Davis, Francis Pierpont
Davis, Walter Swindell, 1887-1973

Date Created

[circa 1925-1939]

Date

1925/1939

Publisher

Los Angeles Times

Language

No linguistic content

Collection

Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection

Notes

Description

St. John's Episcopal Church was designed by the Davis and Davis Architects northern Italian Romanesque. The sculpture was created by Salvatore Cartiano Scarpitta. The church was completed in 1925 and is located at 514 W. Adams Blvd.
Salvatore Cartiano Scarpitta was born in Palermo, Italy, graduated from the Accademia di Belli Arti di Palermo and worked primarily as a sculptor. He immigrated to the United States in 1910. His first studio was in New York, and in 1923 he settled in Los Angeles where he completed numerous public sculptures including work for sculptures at the St. John's Episcopal Church, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the bas relief over the entrance of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. During Benito Mussolini’s era of power in the 1930s Scarpitta executed a bust of the Italian dictator to be displayed in Rome. Scarpitta was awarded a prize by the American Institute of Architects for the three panels over the entrance of the Los Angeles Stock Exchange, and also designed a marble relief over the entrance to the Stock Exchange's board room. Biographical statements credit Scarpitta with the sculptures at the "Church of the Sacred Blood" which may actually be the Church of the Precious Blood completed in 1926.
Interior view towards the high altar, with the lectern in the foreground. The lectern is of marble and has a relief carving of St. John by the sculptor Salvatore Cartiano Scarpitta. The church is located at 514 W. Adams Blvd.

Caption

Text from negative sleeve: Los Angeles Churches, St. Johns

Physical Description

Extent

1 photograph

Medium

b&w nitrate negative

Keywords

Genre

interior views
cellulose nitrate film
news photographs

Names

St. John's Episcopal Church (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Location

Los Angeles (Calif.)

Longitude

34.027312837041400

Latitude

-118.27552556991600

Resource type

still image

Subjects

Churches--California--Los Angeles
Arts
Romanesque revival (Architecture)--California--Los Angeles
Bas-reliefs--California--Los Angeles
Religion
Historic buildings--California--Los Angeles