William Lawrence Saunders Award for Achievement in Mining

Anthony de Francisci, William Lawrence Saunders Award for Achievement in Mining, ca. 1927, plaster plaque, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Anthony de Francisci, 1966.51.4
Copied Anthony de Francisci, William Lawrence Saunders Award for Achievement in Mining, ca. 1927, plaster plaque, 13 1⁄4 x 10 in. (33.6 x 25.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Anthony de Francisci, 1966.51.4

Artwork Details

Title
William Lawrence Saunders Award for Achievement in Mining
Artist
Date
ca. 1927
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 1⁄4 x 10 in. (33.6 x 25.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Anthony de Francisci
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster plaque
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — nude
  • Landscape — rocks
  • Figure female — full length
  • Homage — Saunders, William Lawrence
Object Number
1966.51.4
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.51.4

Artwork Description

William Lawrence Saunders was the 1915 president of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, a chairman of Ingersoll Rand Company, and deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. This award, known today as the William Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal, was established in 1927 and recognizes achievement in mining other than coal. Anthony de Francisci created this plaster relief, which shows an allegorical figure offering up the minerals of the Earth, in the initial stages of designing the award.