Veterinary Medicine Mural Model

Object NameModel

Artist / Maker Christian Petersen (Danish - American, 1885 - 1961)

Datec. 1936

MediumPainted plaster

Dimensions60 x 13 1/2 in. (152.4 x 34.3 cm)

ClassificationsArt on Campus Preparatory Studies and Maquettes

Credit LineCommissioned by Iowa State College. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Art on Campus Preparatory Studies and Maquette Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU2004.54

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: This posthumous bronze casting of Christian Petersen’s Veterinary Medicine Mural model is based on his original plaster design. The full-scale terra cotta Veterinary Medicine Mural and the painted bronze Gentle Doctor sculpture are permanently displayed at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The mural, a striking bas-relief, highlights the critical role veterinarians play in safeguarding both animal and human health, with panels illustrating key veterinary milestones, from vaccines to medical advancements. Petersen, who joined Iowa State in 1934, collaborated with Dean Charles Stange to design the mural for the unfinished courtyard of the Veterinary Quadrangle. Together they developed the idea of a plaque to depict the services the veterinary profession performs in conserving the life and health of domestic animals, thereby safeguarding the health of humans. Dean Stange envisioned a bas relief mounted in a huge wall of the courtyard so that students and faculty would see the mural every day and be reminded of the professional achievements and goals of their curriculum in veterinary medicine. This complex bas-relief composition reflects Petersen’s thoughtful integration of artistic symbolism, combining contemporary research milestones with culturally significant imagery. Notably, the central figure—a heroic veterinarian controlling a powerful horse—echoes Michael Lantz’s celebrated public monument entitled Man Controlling Trade, commissioned for Washington, D.C.’s Apex Building. Ultimately, Petersen’s mural endures as a monumental reminder of the vital connection between veterinary care and human health, immortalizing the profession’s enduring legacy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The symbol of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University and for much of the veterinary profession throughout much of the world is the Gentle Doctor sculpture by Christian Petersen. Petersen wished to add a central figure, the Gentle Doctor, that would present a gentler, more humane image of veterinarians, to contrast with the purposeful and clinical struggle of the scientists in the Veterinary Medicine Mural. As an accomplishment to the heroic mural, Petersen also wanted to humanize the profession, and his solution was to present a veterinarian coming to the aid of an ailing family pet. Gazing down with both compassion and competence, a skilled an sympathetic veterinarian cradles an ill puppy in his oversized hands. The mother dog sits at the doctor’s feet, leaning against his knee, her head lifted mournfully toward her pup. Exhibited here are the original Gentle Doctor model sculpted in painted plaster and created in 1936-37, and a posthumously 2003 bronze casting of the Veterinary Medicine Mural model. The full scale, original Gentle Doctor is on view at the entrance of the University Museums offices in the Scheman Building. The original full scale terra cotta Veterinary Medicine Mural is permanently installed at the College of Veterinary Medicine as is the painted bronze sculpture of the Gentle Doctor.

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