Our Paintings

A Serpent, A Rose, and A Star

This is an original oil painting which hangs in the Headquarters Shrine on permanent loan from from Delta Kappa Chapter, University of Delaware. Painted by Brother Elmer Paul Catts, Jr., it was completed in 1952 but was not introduced to the Fraternity-at-large until it appeared on the cover of the February 1960 Delta.

The idea for the painting grew out of a discussion among first-floor residents of the Delta Kappa chapter house one fall evening in 1949. They agreed that Sigma Nu needed a painting which would express the Fraternity symbolically and commissioned Brother Catts (then a sophomore and chapter Reporter) to undertake the project.

He began his lengthy task by listing what he thought should be included. His original sketch featured a single Knight as the central figure, with the Founders, the Rock, and the stairway or Pathway of Honor, much as they appear in his completed work. Later he developed the idea of using three Knights, and thereafter expanded his concept to include Candidates and ladies. He actually started painting in July 1950, but the finishing touches were not completed until 1952, more than one hundred work hours later.

The name of the composition, "A serpent, A rose, and A star," is especially appropriate, since all three of these important Sigma Nu symbols appear in that order from lower right to the upper left of the painting.

The three Knights, each clad in armor of one of the Fraternity's colors, stand at the base of the pathway of steps which leads to the summit(Honor)of a great rock(the Rock of Sigma Nu)graven with the Roman numerals of the year the Fraternity was founded, 1869. The three Founders are represented by the figures atop the Rock. Above the Rock shines a bright star whose rays outline faintly the familiar five-armed Badge of the Fraternity, and to right in the field of white roses are the three feminine figures representing those who may share the Badge: mother, sister, sweetheart. Behind them stands the Cross of Calvary, expressing the power or light of the Living God.

A painting by Sigma Nu artist Michael Jaszczak (Delta Alpha, Case Western Reserve) was presented to the General Fraternity at the 1986 Grand Chapter. Brother Jaszczak was named the Fraternity's All-Sigma Nu Talent of the Year for both 1983 and 1984.

"The Quest" symbolically expresses that noble pursuit of the human heart: to remain constant to the challenge of a lifelong search for Love, Honor and Truth. Perhaps one is convinced of the Truth, is endowed with Brotherly Love but finds Honor elusive. Or, he man possess Love and Honor, but is inflicted with an unquenchable thirst for Truth. Some will see "The Quest" as two Knights seeking a third whose heart, mind, and character make him worthy of our Brotherhood. In the background of the painting is the citadel of VMI at the foot of the towering Allegheny Mountains where Sigma Nu's principles began. The darkening shadows forming the background behind a grove of white oak trees (the White Oak is the official Brotherhood tree of the Fraternity) symbolically suggests that caution needs to be exercised in the quest for excellence lest Sigma Nu accept less than the best. Sure-footedness over the rocky pathway of Life is essential for Sigma Nus to achieve their maximum potential. "The Quest," then, symbolically expresses the Fraternity's constant challenge to capture the essence that yields the North American College Fraternity at its best. The careful observer with an astute knowledge of Sigma Nu's philosophical underpinnings and rich heritage will discover even deeper meaning in Brother Jaszczak's exquisite work.