Irish Free State Coinage Design – Saorstat·Eireann

Paul Manship, Irish Free State Coinage Design--Saorstat·Eireann, 1927, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.70
Copied Paul Manship, Irish Free State Coinage Design--Saorstat·Eireann, 1927, bronze, 4 1⁄2 in. (11.4 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.70

Artwork Details

Title
Irish Free State Coinage Design – Saorstat·Eireann
Artist
Date
1927
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
4 1⁄2 in. (11.4 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — musical instrument — harp
  • Object — other — money
Object Number
1965.16.70
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1965.16.70

Artwork Description

In 1926, Paul Manship was selected to participate in an international competition to design the coinage of the Irish Free State. Dublin-born poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) had proposed a general motif of animals associated with Irish life, including a hen, ram, salmon, hare, wolfhound, wood duck, harp, and bull's head. Manship lost the competition to English sculptor Percy Metcalf, but graciously acknowledged that, had he been on the jury, he would have made the same decision. Here, Manship offered his design for what would be the obverse image of all Irish coins: the harp and the phrase Saorstat Eireann, which in Irish means "Irish Free State."