Defense of Verdun Medal (alternative unused design)

Paul Manship, Defense of Verdun Medal (alternative unused design), 1920, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.90
Copied 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

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
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — full length
  • Landscape — France — Verdun
  • History — France — World War I
  • Architecture — vehicle — airplane
  • Object — weapon — sword
  • Architecture Exterior — castle
Object Number
1965.16.90
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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.