Ford Motor Company Anniversary Medal (obverse)

Anthony de Francisci, Ford Motor Company Anniversary Medal (obverse), 1955, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Gilda Slate, 1966.110.42
Anthony de Francisci, Ford Motor Company Anniversary Medal (obverse), 1955, bronze, 6 in. (15.2 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Gilda Slate, 1966.110.42

Artwork Details

Title
Ford Motor Company Anniversary Medal (obverse)
Artist
Date
1955
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
6 in. (15.2 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Gilda Slate
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait group — family
  • Occupation — industry — automotive
  • Portrait male — Ford, Henry, II — head
  • Portrait male — Ford, Edsel — head
  • Portrait male — Ford, Henry — head
Object Number
1966.110.42
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.110.42

Artwork Description

Anthony de Francisci’s uniface artist’s strike, or sample, shows the obverse of the true medal. The portraits represent Henry Ford, his son Edsel Ford, and grandson Henry Ford II, who by 1955 had led the firm for ten years. An inscription indicates that the sculptor copied the portraits from a work by Norman Rockwell. Almost thirty years earlier, de Francisci had sculpted Henry Ford’s profile for a commemorative medal (see 1966.110.13).

Works by this artist (1036 items)

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William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
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Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
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William H. Johnson, Chain Gang, ca. 1939, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.675
Chain Gang
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oil on plywood
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William H. Johnson, Midnight Sun, Lofoten, 1937, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.907
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William H. Johnson, Lamentation, ca. 1944, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.981
Lamentation
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Dateca. 1944
oil on fiberboard
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