Sargent began working on the expansive cycle of murals in the Boston Public Library Central Branch in 1890. The murals were commissioned for the new McKim, Mead, & White building to decorate the entrance to the Special Library Hall (now called Special Collections). Although not particualry religious himself, Sargent chose Christianity as the subject for the project and titled it The Triumph of Religion . In total there are B murals in the cycle. Like Sargent's other murals, he did not paint directly onto the wall, but painted canvases which were then installed onto the appropriate space. Installations took place in 1895, 1903, 1916, and 1919. Sargent also added mixed media to embellish parts of the paintings, like gold gilding (see Dogma of The Redemption ) and jewels (see Pagan Gods (Astarte)), plus moldings and sections rendered in relief (see Pagan Gods (Moloch)). The cycle is actually incomplete; there is significant evidence to suggest Sargent intended to install a final mural on the east wall between Synagogue and Church. Sketches and letters from Sargent detail a depiction of the Sermon on The Mount, which would have thematically tied the pieces together. Sargent's dejection over the backlash against the unflattering interpretation of the Jewish faith in Synagogue (see Promey chapter 5 & 6 for a nuanced discussion of the controversy) and preoccupations with other mural projects are throught to be the main reasons Sargent did not finish.