Item number: M388

Year: AD 1918

Material: Bronze

Size: 55.3 x 55.3 mm

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This is a bronze commemorative medal crafted by Karl Goetz, designed to satirise and propagate commentary on World War I events.

The obverse of the medal features a pair of hands holding the Russian imperial crown, filled with war bonds. The papers in the crown bears the inscription “ANLEIHE,” the German word for “bond.” Encircled the edge of the medal, the text reads “1914 –ALLES·FÜR·DEN·GROSSEN·SCHLAG,” which translates roughly to “1914 – All for the Big Strike.” Below the crown, the initials “K” and “G” signify the sculptor, Karl Goetz.

The reverse depicts a weeping John Bull, facing right, while a Russian in the background sweeps war bonds into a trash bin. The bin is adorned with a flagpole topped by a Phrygian cap, symbolising revolution, and a banner inscribed “SOWJET/VOLKSRAT,” meaning “Soviet/People’s Council.” The edge bears the phrase “ENGLAND BEWEINT DAS RUSS. VOLK,” which translates directly as “England mourns (because of) the Russian people.” Below the flag, the date “10·JAN·1918” is inscribed, marking the opening of the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets and the establishment of the Russian Soviet Republic.

The historical context of this medal lies in the tumultuous events of AD 1917, when the Russian Empire, plagued by military defeats and economic collapse, saw the Romanov dynasty overthrown in the February Revolution. Although the Provisional Government pledged to continue the war with the Allies, it was itself overthrown in the October Revolution by the Bolsheviks, who repudiated the war bonds issued to the Allied Powers by the previous regime.

This medal serves a dual satirical purpose. First, it criticises the Russian government under the Tsar for burdening the nation with debt to support the Allied war effort. Second, it mocks British capitalists who faced financial ruin when the Soviet government refused to honour the debts of its predecessor.

Karl Goetz, a medallist from Bavaria, was an active German medal engraver during the first half of the 20th century. Goetz left behind a vast body of work, and his keen interest in politics and current events allows later generations to glimpse how he vividly documented Germany’s social and political transformations during the two World Wars and the interwar period. Through a style characterised by a degree of exaggeration and dark humour, his works serve as a compelling record of these historical developments.

物件編號: M388

年代: 公元 1918 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 55.3 x 55.3 mm

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

這是一枚由卡爾·戈茨(Karl Goetz)製作，用於諷刺及宣傳第一次世界大戰時事的青銅章。

紀念章正面是一雙捧著俄國沙皇皇冠的手，裝滿了戰爭債券。皇冠中的紙張書有「ANLEIHE」字樣，即德文「債券」。紀念章邊緣書有「1914 –ALLES·FÜR·DEN·GROSSEN·SCHLAG」意思大約為「1914-都是為了這一擊」。皇冠下方的「K」、「G」為雕刻師卡爾·戈茨的縮寫。

紀念章背面為拭淚的英國人，面朝右方，身後的俄國人將地上的戰爭債券掃進垃圾桶，桶上插著旗桿，旗桿尖頂掛著弗里吉亞帽，旗幟上寫著兩行字「SOWJET/VOLKSRAT」，即「蘇維埃/人民委員會」。紀念章的邊緣環繞著「ENGLAND BEW EINT DAS RUSS. VOLK」的字樣，直譯為「英國因為俄國人民而哭泣」。旗幟下方有「10·JAN·1918」字樣，為第三次全俄羅斯蘇維埃代表大會之日期，也是俄羅斯蘇維埃共和國的立國之日。

該紀念章歷史背景為公元1917年沙俄政府因前線不利以及國內經濟崩潰，在二月革命中羅曼諾夫王朝被推翻，但新臨時政府向協約國承諾繼續作戰，其後十月革命中，布爾什維克推翻臨時政府，拒絕清償售予協約國的戰爭債券。該紀念章首先是諷刺沙俄政府，為協約國作戰卻背上沉重的債務，其次是諷刺英國資本家，因為蘇俄拒絕承認前政權的債務而血本無歸。

出身於巴伐利亞的卡爾·戈茨是活躍於公元20世紀上半葉的德國獎章雕刻家，戈茨留下了數量龐大的作品且對於政治和時事的高度關心，使得後人得以從他的作品一窺戈茨如何以帶點浮誇和黑色幽默的表現方式，生動紀錄下德國在兩次世界大戰和戰間期期間的社會和政治變化。