Ordre des Arts et des Lettres awarded to Shirley Verrett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

There is a ribbon with nine (9) alternating green and white stripes going around it. The ribbon is pleated at the top center. The top and sides of the ribbon are attached to a green velvet board. The board creases at the top, separating the front and back, and opens at the bottom, so that the award can stand up. When unfolded, the two boards form a triangle shape. The boards are covered in fabric on the inside and are attached with a ribbon. The bottom of the ribbon has a gold colored metal attachment connected to a gold colored metal ring. The ring has a twisted rope appearance. There is a gold colored metal medal attached to the ring with a geometric flower-like appearance. The petal shapes are looped together at the bottom, and the head has two points on top with small metal balls. The inside of the petal-like shapes is green. There is a white circle in the center of the medal. There is a gold color "L" and "A" overlapping in a script font and raised text around the circle which reads [REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE]. On the other side of the medal is a golden side view of a man's head, looking towards the proper right side. The raised text around the circle reads [ORDRE DES ARTS ET DES LETTRES].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1984
• Issued by: French Republic, French, founded 1792
• Owned by: Shirley Verrett, American, 1931 - 2010
• Type: medals
• Medium: ribbon, metal, enamel, enamel paint, wood, fabric, and velvet
• Dimensions: H x W: 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
• Place depicted: Paris, France, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Opera (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2019.88.1.9
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Francesca LoMonaco in memory of Shirley Verrett
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.