Goetzdude Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Ludwig Gies, 1914, Cast Bronze, broad oval, uniface 74.5mm, 65.7g., Edge-punch: C.Poellath Schrobenhausen. Ernsting WVZ64.RRRR Six Examples exist, three in museums at Brussels, London, and Paris and three examples in private collections (including this example). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlueke Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Are those pikes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccg Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Pikemen on chariot? That's an interesting thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Quite the proud nation, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 What historical event does the medal depict? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goetzdude Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Gies was a pacifist and he used archaic allegory to represent war events and weapons. I believe that Gies is using his horse-drawn cart packed with medieval warriors with pikes as an allegory to the first use of the German A7V tank. If I am correct then this undated medal may have been made later than 1914/15 as Ernsting has placed it and rather closer to 1918 with the first deployment of the German tank. It is also possible that he may have been thinking of the British tanks first deployed in 1916. The British tank, however, did not require a 16/17 man crew to run it like the A7V I just realized that I had posted this medal here previously when I first acquired it...sorry about that. We are, however, discussing the subject matter further this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 A 16-17 person crew?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goetzdude Posted November 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 yup, plus one officer...had to be pretty ugly inside, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlueke Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 Interesting interpretation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 What a behemoth! Nice comparison of the medal vs. photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constanius Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Another possibility as to what the medal represents, the movement of the German troops by train, that would have the added advantage that the date given by Emsting, 1814/15 would be correct. The horses would indicate the locomotive & the speed with which the troops could be deployed to the theatre of operation, the cart would then be the freight wagon. Picture from Wikipedia "German soldiers on the way to the front in 1914. A message on the freight car spells out "Trip to Paris"; early in the war all sides expected the conflict to be a short one." Or perhaps this was his inspiration, German troops pictured in the locomotive bunker. Picture from http://www.historypl...roops-train.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goetzdude Posted November 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Thanks Constanius, yes, it could be a train too. Either of our examples help us get to the point of how Gies handled the topic of war in his art. I have another medal that exhibits a more telling analogy...two fish sitting in the ocean, face to face and spitting water at one another with medieval piked warriors on the back of each. More obvious than this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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