New York Tercentenary Medal

Copied Paul Manship, New York Tercentenary Medal, 1914, bronze, 2 34 in. (7.0 cm.) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.80

Artwork Details

Title
New York Tercentenary Medal
Artist
Date
1914
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 34 in. (7.0 cm.) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Architecture — boat — sailing ship
  • Indian
  • Animal — reptile — snake
  • Architecture — boat — detail
  • Animal — beaver
  • Allegory — place — New York City
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Architecture Exterior — commercial — skyscraper
  • Object — weapon — gun
  • Object — other — smoking material
Object Number
1965.16.80

Artwork Description

Paul Manship’s New York Tercentenary Medal commemorates the 300th anniversary of the founding of New York in 1614. The design for the obverse features an allegorical figure holding the torch of liberty in one hand and an early skyscraper---perhaps Cass Gilbert’s famous Woolworth Building---in the other. Shields to the left and right of the figure bear symbols of medicine and maritime trade, industries in which New York led, early in the twentieth century.