Walther Eberbach medal

[macarenses]

I have this Walther Eberbach medal to show you and I would like more information if anyone has any (most probably from GoetzDude...).

 

It is a blackened iron medal dedicated to Arthur Balfour, 1st Lord of the British Admiralty. Not sure what exactly is going on here but assuming it is mocking the British and its relations with the neutral countries.

 

Obverse legend: ENGLISCHE FLAGGENENRE!

Reverse legend: ARTHUR BALFOUR/DEM ERSTEN LORD DER/GROSSBRITANNISCHEN/ADMIRALITAET

Date: 1914-?

 

Does the forum have more information on Eberbach? Also I notice that in another post Goetzdude said there were 12 medals that Eberbach made. Would a list of them be able to be posted on the forum? From the American Numismatic Society Collection database there are more than this and I count 14??

 

 

Regards

Macarenses

[tabbs]

Welcome, Macarenses! "ENGLISCHE FLAGGENEHRE!" means something like English Flag Honor. And yes, it seems to be one of those WW1 propaganda pieces; cannot really recognize much of the text on the flag though. The word on the left could be SCHWED. (Schweden = Sweden), then NORWEGEN (Norway), and then more on the right. The woman apparently is double headed, Ianus style, which probably refers to an ambiguous attitude.

 

Don't know anything about Walter Eberbach, but (judging from the results of a brief search) he was born in 1866 and died in 1944/45. One of the results refers to a series of "Totentanz" (danse macabre) medals; no images though. And here is another war propaganda medal he designed: http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/im...tion/page4.html

 

Christian

[Goetzdude]

Yo! Sorry for the delay...I've been busy (look at end of post for my excuse).

 

Here is the info for the medal:

 

Medal by W. EBERBACH, Naked female figure doublefaced

(Personifying England), one side masked, crouched

on bow of ship marked U. S. A. ; the latter is surrounded by

several other ships, such as "K. Stephen" and "Baralong".

She holds a huge standard composed of flags of neutral

countries, viz, U. S. A., Holland, Norway, Sweden

and Denmark. In exergue, "Englische Flaggenehre !" (England's

flag of honour). Below,"1914-?". Reverse, border inscribed,"

Arthur Balfour dem ersten Lord der Gross Britannischen

Admiraliteit" (To Arthur Balfour First Lord of the Admiralty

of Great Britain). Below, a cruiser on a calm sea,

 

This medal, along with his totentanz (Dance of Death), were donated and sold by the war effort organization "Freunde der Deutschen Schaumunze" during world war I. Your piece should have an edge-punch with a "DS" followed by a number.

 

When I stated that Eberbach had only created 12 medals I was only talking about the "Skeleton/Death" medals. He, of course, had made other pieces too including one I have in my collection from 1916 that I can find absolutely no information about.

 

I will post again with the list of his medals that I am aware of at this time but I must close for now.

 

I leave early in the morning...Karl Goetz' personal medal cabinet, of which I purchased from his family, has arrived and I must retrieve it from Customs...then it will be rushed to a museum conservator for inspection, documentation, and any cosmetic repairs. I hope to have it in my home by Christmas. I'm very excited!

 

GD

[constanius]

Good luck with your pick-up of Karl Goetz' personal medal cabinet. What a trophy!

[macarenses]

Thanks Goetzdude for the information. My medal does indeed have the DS edge-punch which I had never noticed before. Did other medallists sell their medals in this way?

 

Hoping someone can still help with some biographical data on Eberbach but until then I have started a list of what I know to be his satirical/propaganda medals from the war. I have taken the details from the American Numismatic Society database and abbreviated somewhat the long descriptions. Hopefully they are not too obtuse as I have followed them with catalogue references.

 

Cardinal Mercier lending the Church's Treasure to Belgium (1916) (Frankenhuis 1535)

Britain as a monster attacking Siegfried

Verdun The Blood-Pump (1916) (Schulman 75.246)

Lusitania (1916) (Schulman 67.675B)

Death kneeling over city/Lord Curzon (1916) (Frankenhuis 1500)

Britannia Rules The Waves Though (1916) (Schulman 67.675A)

Death choking a wolf (1915-1916) (Schulman 67.675D)

England’s Flag of Honour (Schulman 67.659)

Death running in water towards lightening (1916) (Schulman 67.675F)

Death holding a bouquet of flowers/Maxwell (1916) (Schulman 67.675E)

Death as a Russian soldier (Frankenhuis 1498)

Death with soldiers cap aiming rifle (1917) (Schulman 75.245)

Death sitting on globe (1916) (Schulman 75.244)

Tubantia ship (1916)

Marianne, as death, sauntering down the street with a French Soldier (1916)

 

cheers

[Goetzdude]

I can provide you with the "official" titles as soon as I have some free time. I can also provide the Frankenhius descriptions for each of these medals.

 

Without the ability to translate German I can only tell you at this time that Eberbach was a contemporary to Gies, vonEsseo, Lindl, Otto, Zadikow, etc.. These were all "Munich School" artists who's background was from the arts/crafts school. Of course, back then, arts/crafts encompessed most everything but painting and 3D sculpture so it shouldn't carry the same connotations as today's 'arts/crafts' does. I'll also try to provide more general biography stuff for the group in general when I can find it and for Eberbach after I check my library. I can tell you now that there isn't much written about these artists...unfortunately.