American Liberty (Libertas Americana) 1782

This bronze medal, entitled *American Liberty*, was created by Augustin Dupré, a celebrated French engraver. The methods Dupré employed were decidedly traditional. Medals like this were first designed in wax or plaster, then translated into hardened steel dies, which were then used to strike the final object in metal. Consider how the copper alloy takes on the crisp detail and the bas-relief form. Notice the inscription *Libertas Americana* which encircles the allegorical figure of Liberty, her flowing hair, and Phrygian cap. The date, *Juillet 1776*, commemorates the Declaration of Independence. This medal sits squarely at the intersection of art, craft, and political symbolism. It elevates metalworking from a purely functional pursuit to the realm of commemorative art, blurring the boundaries between disciplines. It asks us to consider the social and political context in which this object was conceived, produced, and circulated, not as a mass-produced token, but as a considered object.