Fiat Vita Medal (obverse)

Anthony de Francisci’s artist’s strike, or sample, represents the obverse of the true medal and offers a stylized image taken from the book of Genesis, in the Old Testament. Behind the great hand that holds an infant, a bolt of lightning separates the heavens from the earth. The Latin phrase fiat vita means “let there be life,” de Francisci’s adaptation of the biblical phrase “Let there be light.” Research has not yet revealed the source of this commission or the purpose of the medal.