Within the pediment surmounting the northeast facade are 13 freestanding, life-size figures designed by C. Paul Jennewein and John Gregory. They were executed in chrome and gold glazes and occupy a tympanum 70 feet wide at the base and ranging to 12 feet in height. They are considered an outstanding example of the ceramic art in colors. The mythological figures, according to the sculptors, signify sacred and profane love, the two underlying forces which are basic in the development of art and civilization in every age. Among the figures represented are Jupiter, Venus, Aurora, Cupid and Adonis. They, together with the figures of a lion, a mighty serpent and an owl, all made from polychrome terra cotta, symbolize the influences which produced western culture.
--- Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State, 1940; page 362
The pediment facing the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is adorned with sculptures by Carl Paul Jennewein depicting Greek gods and goddesses. This is the most magnificent pediment one might ever seen. It is a colorful cacophony of mythological creatures, all stuffed inside this Greek Revival style pediment. Among those represented are Eos, Nous, Adonis, Hippomenes (lion), Eros, Aphrodite, Zeus, Demeter, Triptolemus, Ariadne, Theseus, Minotaur, and Python. I have seen this pediment also called Western Civilization.
The SIRIS site does a decent description of this unbelievable work of art. The pediment contains thirteen figures of classical mythology which illustrate the theme of sacred and profane love in Western civilization. The central figure is Zeus, ruler of the gods. He stands holding a sphere in his proper right hand and a scepter in his proper left hand. His nude figure is draped with a piece of fabric and a decorative band across his chest. On his head he wears a crown. To his proper left is Demeter, protector of marriage, holding the hand of the child Triptolemus whom she rescued from a mortal illness. Next is Ariadne; Theseus slaying the Minotaur; and the beast Python. To the proper right of Zeus, is Aphrodite, goddess of love, and her son, Eros; Hippomenes in the form of a lion; Adonis; Nous (the mind); and Eos, goddess of the dawn. Eos turns away from the owl, bird of the night, which is located on the end of the pediment. SOURCE
The sculpture is polychrome terra cotta covered with ceramic glazes. Its
dimensions: (pediment) approximately 144 inches in height and 840 inches in length. A complete list of artists employed in this undertaking were: Jennewein, C. Paul, 1890-1978, sculptor, Zantzinger, C. Clark, Jr., 1904- , architect, Trumbauer, Horace, architect, Solon, Leon V., painter and Atlantic Terra Cotta Company, fabricator.
The colored glazing was achieved using the methods of Greek architectural sculpture. Figures representing the pursuit of wisdom in Eastern civilization were modeled for the planned south pediment, but the fabricator went out of business before the work could be executed. The colorist, Leon V. Solon, author of the 1924 publication entitled "Polychromy," assisted in the fabrication of the figures.