United States of America – Bronze Cross

Copied Paul Manship, United States of America--Bronze Cross, n.d., bronze, 6 1⁄4 x 5 1⁄4 in. (15.9 x 13.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.142

Artwork Details

Title
United States of America – Bronze Cross
Artist
Date
n.d.
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
6 1⁄4 x 5 1⁄4 in. (15.9 x 13.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Paul Manship
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — place — America
  • Allegory — religion
Object Number
1966.47.142
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.47.142

Artwork Description

Research has not revealed the purpose for which Paul Manship designed this cross, although the design is very similar to the Navy Cross created by James Earle Fraser after World War I. The trident on the reverse appears as well in Manship’s design for the Navy’s Distinguished Service Medal (see 1965.16.97), created in 1919. The Medal of Honor, the Cross, and the Distinguished Service Medal are the highest awards earned in the United States Navy.