In Peace Sons Bury Their Fathers

Chester Beach, In Peace Sons Bury Their Fathers, 1937, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.23
Copied Chester Beach, In Peace Sons Bury Their Fathers, 1937, bronze, 2 7⁄8 in. (7.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.23

Artwork Details

Title
In Peace Sons Bury Their Fathers
Artist
Commissioner
Society of Medallic Arts
Founder
Medallic Art Company
Date
1937
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 7⁄8 in. (7.3 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure male — elderly
  • Figure group — male — nude
  • State of being — death
Object Number
1972.167.23
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1972.167.23

Artwork Description

This medal employs a quotation from the fifth-century Greek historian Herodotus to express the threat of another world war that loomed throughout the 1930s. An inscription on the obverse states, "In peace sons bury their fathers," while the reverse reads, "In war the fathers bury their sons." Chester Beach received the National Sculpture Society's Lindsey Morris Memorial Prize in 1938 for a plaque based on this medal.