THE FACE

And the last thing, don't you think the face of Wahington is a little bit clenched? Because he had a false teeth. This painting shows a natural expression of Washington.

Stuart wrote that:

When I painted him [Washington], he had just had a set of false teeth inserted, which accounts for the constrained expression so noticeable about the mouth and lower part of the face...Houdon's bust does not suffer from this defect."

info came from wikipedia.

one sentence--meaning of the image

This image shows a natural Washington and through the details such as books the artist shows that during the war Washington's effort as well as the artist admired him.

info.

Now let's look at the table and the things around it.

The leg of the table is shaped like a fasces, an ancient Roman symbol of power and authority (imperium). On the far left of the table is a silver inkwell, emblazed with George Washington's coat of arms (see Syng inkstand). A white quill rests upon silver dogs, ancient symbols of loyalty. Behind the table is a large black hat.

symbol 4

4: there are five books.
five books are under the table: the three to the right are General Orders, American Revolution, and Constitutional Bylaws—symbolizing Washington's leadership as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and president of the Constitutional Convention.


On and under the tablecloth-draped table to the left are two books: Federalist—probably a reference to the Federalist Papers—and Journal of Congress—the Congressional Record.


5:the pen and the paper
The pen and paper on the table signify the rule of law.

info from wikipedia.