Charles Lang Freer Medal (obverse)

Paul Manship, Charles Lang Freer Medal (obverse), 1955, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.130
Paul Manship, Charles Lang Freer Medal (obverse), 1955, bronze, 3 1⁄4 in. (8.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.130

Artwork Details

Title
Charles Lang Freer Medal (obverse)
Artist
Date
1955
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 1⁄4 in. (8.3 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Bequest of Paul Manship
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — industry
  • Occupation — other — philanthropist
  • Portrait male — Freer, Charles Lang — head
  • Architecture Exterior — art building — Freer Gallery of Art
Object Number
1966.47.130
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.47.130

Artwork Description

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) manufactured railroad cars in Detroit until he retired in 1900. He established the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to house his collection of Asian art, as well as paintings and decorative arts created by James McNeill Whistler. The obverse of Paul Manship’s medal depicts Freer and the neoclassical building on the National Mall designed by Charles Adams Platt (see 1965.16.98 and 1965.16.99) to house Freer’s collection.