St. Paul Institute Medal

Paul Manship, St. Paul Institute Medal, 1916, bronze, 2 ¹⁄₈ in (5.4 cm.) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.58

Artwork Details

Title: St. Paul Institute Medal
Artist: Paul Manship
Founder: Medallic Art Company
Date: 1916
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 2 ¹⁄₈ in (5.4 cm.) diam.
Credit Line: Gift of the artist
Mediums: bronze
Mediums Description: bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Medal
Subjects: Object — musical instrument — lyre
Mythology — classical — victory
Mythology — classical — muse
Figure female — full length
Figure female — nude
Object Number: 1965.16.58
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1965.16.58

Artwork Description

Paul Manship studied at the St. Paul Institute of Arts in Minnesota from 1892 to 1903. On the obverse of this medal a partially draped nude holding a lyre represents the creative Muse that leads the artist to acclaim; she holds a figure of Victory in her right hand. Manship explained that the Pegasus rising from the globe on the reverse suggested “the flight of Fancy, and its vehicle of transport to the Higher Realms.”