Defense of Verdun Medal (alternative unused design)
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Object Details
- Artist
- Paul Manship, born St. Paul, MN 1885-died New York City 1966
- Luce Center Label
- Congress authorized a special gold medal honoring the sacrifice of the citizens of the French city of Verdun during World War I. The Commission of Fine Arts held a limited competition for medal designs in early 1920, and this medal is one of Paul Manship’s proposed designs. Imagery on the obverse associates the city’s medieval history with the modern bombardment of World War I, symbolized by the airplanes circling overhead. On the reverse, an angel hovers over the city bearing the sword of righteousness and a sheaf of wheat symbolizing God’s judgment of the righteous and the wicked.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist
- 1920
- Object number
- 1965.16.90
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture-Medal
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- 4 in. (10.3 cm) diam.
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- Architecture\vehicle\airplane
- Figure female\full length
- History\France\World War I
- Landscape\France\Verdun
- Object\weapon\sword
- Architecture Exterior\castle
- Record ID
- saam_1965.16.90
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Not determined
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7c3af3576-0ab9-461c-9d1d-ebbf99f35d53
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