Fiat Vita Medal (obverse)

Anthony de Francisci, Fiat Vita Medal (obverse), 1935, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Gilda Slate, 1966.110.30
Copied Anthony de Francisci, Fiat Vita Medal (obverse), 1935, bronze, 2 78 in. (7.4 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Gilda Slate, 1966.110.30

Artwork Details

Title
Fiat Vita Medal (obverse)
Date
1935
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 78 in. (7.4 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Gilda Slate
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — celestial
  • Figure — fragment — hand
  • Figure — child — nude
Object Number
1966.110.30

Artwork Description

Anthony de Francisci’s artist’s strike, or sample, represents the obverse of the true medal and offers a stylized image taken from the book of Genesis, in the Old Testament. Behind the great hand that holds an infant, a bolt of lightning separates the heavens from the earth. The Latin phrase fiat vita means “let there be life,” de Francisci’s adaptation of the biblical phrase “Let there be light.” Research has not yet revealed the source of this commission or the purpose of the medal.