Bertner Foundation Award Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Cancer Research

Copied Joseph E. Renier, Bertner Foundation Award Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Cancer Research, n.d., bronze, 3 in. (7.7 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.60

Artwork Details

Title
Bertner Foundation Award Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Cancer Research
Date
n.d.
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 in. (7.7 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure — fragment — hand
  • Animal — reptile — snake
  • Emblem — caduceus
  • Allegory — arts and sciences — medicine
Object Number
1967.93.60

Artwork Description

The Bertner Foundation Award Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Cancer Research honors Dr. Ernest William Bertner, who was chief of staff at Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, and in 1945 became the first president of the Texas Medical Center. In Joseph Renier’s design the Lone Star of Texas underlies a stylized modern interpretation of the caduceus, the ancient symbol that identifies Asclepius, Greek god of healing. This composition echoes the emblem of Asclepius’s daughter, Hygeia, the goddess of health and cleanliness who wore a snake draped about her body and fed the creature from a bowl.