Great moments in Italian - American history: the specification

The best stories are true.

This is a picture of the Presidential Seal of the United States. Each president has the right (and, I assume, the budget, although I think this might come from donations) to redecorate the White House. President Ford didn't like the fact that the Seal was in a carpet in the Oval Office, subject to wear and tear and grime. So, he commissioned that a plaster relief of the Seal be created in the ceiling of the Office. After what must have been a thorough search, an artist from Italy was retained to create this. (I don't have his name, but I will spare no effort to find it!)

Continued above. . .