These three bronze figures, symbolizing Learning, Religion, and Industry, are dedicated to the memory of Boston philanthropist George Francis Parkman, Jr. (1823-1908), son of famed murder victim Dr. George F. Parkman. The younger Parkman’s generous contributions to the City of Boston resulted in many improvements to the Emerald Necklace, a series of parks designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The chain of green space snakes through several Boston neighborhoods, from Back Bay to Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

Sculptor Adio di Biccari worked with his brother-in-law, woodcarver and architect Arcangelo Cascieri, to create these three figures. Slightly smaller than life-sized, they represent Boston’s intellectual, spiritual, and industrial energy. To help us identify each figure’s significance, the artists gave them attributes: Learning clutches a book, Industry wields a jackhammer, and Religion holds no material objects but instead kneels with his palms outspread, as if in prayer. Arcangelo Casciera served as the Dean of the Boston Architectural Center from 1943 until his death in 1997.