Paul Manship, Defense of Verdun Medal (alternative unused design), 1920, bronze, 4 in. (10.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.90
Copied
Artwork Details
- Title
- Defense of Verdun Medal (alternative unused design)
- Artist
- Date
- 1920
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 4 in. (10.3 cm) diam.
- Credit Line
- Gift of the artist
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- bronze
- Subjects
- Architecture — vehicle — airplane
- Figure female — full length
- History — France — World War I
- Landscape — France — Verdun
- Object — weapon — sword
- Architecture Exterior — castle
- Object Number
- 1965.16.90
Artwork Description
Congress authorized a special gold medal honoring the sacrifice of the citizens of the French city of Verdun during World War I. The Commission of Fine Arts held a limited competition for medal designs in early 1920, and this medal is one of Paul Manship’s proposed designs. Imagery on the obverse associates the city’s medieval history with the modern bombardment of World War I, symbolized by the airplanes circling overhead. On the reverse, an angel hovers over the city bearing the sword of righteousness and a sheaf of wheat symbolizing God’s judgment of the righteous and the wicked.