Monuments Men Bronze Medal 1.5 Inch

The Monuments Men 1.5–inch medal is a miniature of the Monuments Men bronze medal, a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Monuments Men Foundation in recognition of the heroic role played in the preservation, protection and restitution of monuments, works of art, and artifacts of cultural importance during and following World War II.

The name “Monuments Men” was given to the men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section under the Allied Armies. The group initially was tasked with protecting and temporarily repairing the monuments, churches and cathedrals of Europe that were damaged due to combat. Their mission, however, was adapted to identify, preserve, catalogue, and repatriate almost 5 million artistic and cultural items during and following World War II. The Monuments Men saved and recovered some of the world’s most famous pieces of art by such renowned artists as Michelangelo, Johannes Vermeer, Jan van Eyck, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci.

The obverse features a portrayal of soldiers in action, lifting and removing objects from a cave or mine location where Monuments Men discovered stolen works. The artwork depicted represents major works of historic significance the group recovered. The design includes the inscription “MONUMENTS MEN.”

The medal’s reverse design features some of the thousands of works of art that were at risk from damage, destruction or theft by Nazi forces, surrounding the inscriptions “IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE TO PASS ON TO THE COMING CENTURIES TREASURES OF PAST AGES” and “GEN. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.” The design also includes the inscription “ACT OF CONGRESS 2014.”