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"Teresa De Francisci, Miss Liberty Model For Coin, Dies at 92"
''
"Antonio de Francisci - The Veteran's Engraver"
Excellent background on Anthony de Francisci.
Artist Anthony de Francisci
Anthony de Francisci featured on Smithsonian American Art Museum website. Includes examples of his work preserved at the
"The Peace Dollar"
(includes a biography) * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Francisci, Anthony 1887 births 1964 deaths American currency designers American medallists Naturalized citizens of the United States 20th-century American sculptors American male sculptors Coin designers Artists from Palermo Italian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American male artists
Anthony (Antonio) de Francisci (; July 13, 1887 – August 20, 1964) was an Italian-American
Late in 1921, the Commission of Fine Arts held a competition for the design of a new silver dollar and invited "eight prominent sculptors to participate."LaMarre, Tom. "The Dollar Daze of 1921", ''Coins'', October 1999, 56–57. Several of the entrants had already designed U.S. coins and achieved considerable fame. Although the youngest participant and a novice coin designer, de Francisci "won the competition and took home the $1,500 cash prize." Regarding this event, "The Dec. 20, 1920, issue of the ''Baltimore Sun'' reported…'Eight medalists, all of them from New York, were in the competition for the award. The designs in bas-relief were exhibited privately in the office of int Director Raymond T. Baker">Raymond_T._Baker.html" ;"title="int Director int Director Raymond T. Baker after he had shown the winning one to Warren G. Harding">President Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. ...
. The President expressed his pleasure and approval.'" Becoming the designer of the Peace Dollar and receiving considerable publicity as a result of this accomplishment greatly boosted the reputation of de Francisci, taking his career to a whole new level.
De Francisci used his wife Teresa de Francisci">Mary Teresa as the model for the Liberty head of the Peace Dollar. When asked about its design, de Francisci "told a newspaper columnist that the portrait was not a 'photograph' of Mrs. de Francisci but was a 'composite' face that 'typified something of America'" De Francisci also said about the design of the Peace Dollar "that his goal was to capture the spirit of the country--its intellectual speed, vigor and vitality."
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
who designed a number of United States coins and medals. His most famous design was the Peace Dollar, which was first minted in 1921.Van Allen, Leroy C. and A. George Mallis. ''Comprehensive Catalogue and Encyclopedia of U.S. Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars'', 2d ed. (New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1977), 264.
Early life and training
De Francisci immigrated to the United States in 1905 and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1913. He was the son of Benedetto de Francisci and Maria Liberante and was married to Mary Teresa Cafarelli. De Francisci "studied under some very fine coin designers: Fraser, MacNeil, and Weinman."Career
De Francisci served as an Academician of theNational Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
and a Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the National Sculpture Society
Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...
.
Works
Peace Dollar
Late in 1921, the Commission of Fine Arts held a competition for the design of a new silver dollar and invited "eight prominent sculptors to participate."LaMarre, Tom. "The Dollar Daze of 1921", ''Coins'', October 1999, 56–57. Several of the entrants had already designed U.S. coins and achieved considerable fame. Although the youngest participant and a novice coin designer, de Francisci "won the competition and took home the $1,500 cash prize." Regarding this event, "The Dec. 20, 1920, issue of the ''Baltimore Sun'' reported…'Eight medalists, all of them from New York, were in the competition for the award. The designs in bas-relief were exhibited privately in the office of int Director Raymond T. Baker">Raymond_T._Baker.html" ;"title="int Director int Director Raymond T. Baker after he had shown the winning one to Warren G. Harding">President Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. ...Other works
De Francisci sculpted the commemorative 1920 Maine Centennial half dollar.Howe, Marvine"Teresa De Francisci, Miss Liberty Model For Coin, Dies at 92"
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', October 21, 1990. Accessed on November 26, 2007. Also, de Francisci designed the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button, unofficially known as the "ruptured duck." The button was intended for wear as a lapel pin on civilian clothing to recognize military service. However, the military did not issue the button. Instead, it was available by private purchase.
He modelled the bronze high reliefs of the drum base of the Sesquicentennial flagpole erected in Union Square, New York, in 1924''The WPA Guide to New York City'' 1939:202. and dedicated, July 4, 1926, to mark the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The architect for the project was Perry Coke Smith. Starting from the rear, the effects of liberty, rendered as the march of progress in the arts, crafts and sciences of civilization is represented by figures that move towards the Declaration of Independence reproduced on a tablet at front center, while on the right, the effects of tyranny, in which fleeing humanity avidly reach for it.
According to his wife, de Francisci greatly admired Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and featured the slain president on many of his personal works.LaMarre, Tom. "Lincoln Treasures", ''Coins'', July 1999, 55. He designed a Lincoln medal for the Hall of Fame for Great Americans
The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is an outdoor sculpture gallery located on the grounds of Bronx Community College (BCC) in the Bronx, New York City. It is the first such hall of fame in the United States. Built in 1901 as part of the Uni ...
in New York. In addition, de Francisci designed the inaugural medal for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair
The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...
.
Selected works
Later life
De Francisci was buried atSaint Raymond's Cemetery
Saint Raymond's Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 2600 Lafayette Avenue in the Throggs Neck and Schuylerville sections of the Bronx, New York City, United States. The cemetery is composed of two separate locations: the older section (main e ...
in the Bronx, New York.
Awards
*Saltus Award
The J. Sanford Saltus Medal Award is an annual award made to artists "for lifetime achievement in medallic art". It is administered by the American Numismatic Society. The award was first awarded in 1913 on the initiative of J. Sanford Saltus to re ...
, 1927
*Lindsey Morris award, 1932
*Widener Gold Medal The George D. Widener Memorial Gold Medal was a prestigious sculpture prize awarded by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1913 to 1968. Established in 1912, it recognized the "most meritorious work of Sculpture modeled by an American cit ...
, 1938
Notes
External links
"Antonio de Francisci - The Veteran's Engraver"
Excellent background on Anthony de Francisci.
Artist Anthony de Francisci
Anthony de Francisci featured on Smithsonian American Art Museum website. Includes examples of his work preserved at the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
."The Peace Dollar"
(includes a biography) * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Francisci, Anthony 1887 births 1964 deaths American currency designers American medallists Naturalized citizens of the United States 20th-century American sculptors American male sculptors Coin designers Artists from Palermo Italian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American male artists