The Heart of Bexar County

A few months later Karen and Ron Herrmann,
Nelson and I met Gilbert at his studio. We stood
together around the four-foot wax model of Lady
Justice that Gilbert had created.
Gilbert told us that Praxiteles used the
contraposition method: tension vs. relaxation of
the arms and legs that gives a sense of
movement. He said Praxiteles brought romance
to sculpture by capturing the beauty of the
female body using the natural curve of the body,
a sensuous, flowing, graceful female body.
We all agreed that he should move forward
with the sculpture.
Finally, on the night of December 7, 2008
hundreds of people joined us for the unveiling
of Lady Justice and the dedication of the
enlarged front courtyard in front of the Bexar
County Courthouse.
We had created a perfect setting for Lady Justice
in our expanded courtyard, accentuated by
mountain laurel trees, lantana and a garden of
roses. Two elongated benches flanked each side of
Lady Justice. Because it was Christmas time, over
200 poinsettias were placed around the base of the
fountain and on the courthouse steps.
After Nelson gave his welcoming speech, I
spoke and thanked Gilbert for his beautiful
work. I also thanked the Herrmann’s and their
family, who were present, for their donation.
Finally, Nelson, Gilbert and I pulled the cover
off the fountain to reveal Aphrodite.
As we slipped off the cover, our goddess
emerged in all her striking beauty in her bronze
colored skin. She stood on a globe above
the restored twelve-foot high cast iron fountain.
In one hand, she had the scales of justice
and in the other a sword, representing the
enforcement of justice. She was blindfolded
representing objectivity. She had a ribbon in a
curvilinear form floating above her head
representing the sky.
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Above: Nelson and Tracy Wolff during
the unveiling of the Lady Justice
Fountain on December 7, 2008.
Below: Aerial view of the courtyard in
front of the Bexar County Courthouse.
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