Item number: X50

Year: AD 1914-1918

Material: Brass

Size: 51.8 x 48 x 41.3 mm

Weight: 36.69 g

Provenance: Private Collector, USA, 2020

This is a German First World War napkin ring incorporating the central medallion from a German Army belt buckle bearing the motto “GOTT MIT UNS”. The ring is of cylindrical form and made of metal, with a smooth interior and a slightly patinated exterior surface. Mounted to the front is a circular badge displaying an imperial crown within a rope-bordered roundel, encircled by a laurel wreath and the inscription “GOTT MIT UNS”. The relief is crisp and retains clear definition in the crown, lettering, and wreath.

The inscription “Gott mit uns” translates as “God with us”. Although closely associated with Imperial Germany, the idea behind the phrase is much older. It derives from the Bible, specifically Isaiah 7:14, in which the Hebrew name Immanuel means “God with us”. From Late Antiquity onwards, Christian rulers adopted the concept that divine favour sanctioned and protected their authority and armies. After the Roman Empire became Christian in the fourth century, imperial victories were increasingly presented as evidence of God’s support. The Byzantine Empire continued this tradition, placing Christian invocations on standards and official objects. Throughout medieval and early modern Europe, similar expressions such as the Latin “Deus nobiscum” were used to convey the same belief in providential support.

In its German form, “Gott mit uns” became formally associated with the Kingdom of Prussia in the early eighteenth century and was later retained by the German Empire following unification in 1871. The motto appeared prominently on military belt buckles, standards, and insignia. During the First World War (1914–1918), most German Army enlisted men wore belt buckles bearing the crowned inscription “GOTT MIT UNS” within a laurel wreath.

This napkin ring appears to have been produced by adapting such a buckle medallion and mounting it onto a cylindrical band. The construction suggests a form of trench art, a term used for objects made by soldiers or from military materials during or shortly after wartime. Trench art from the First World War frequently incorporated uniform fittings, shell cases, and other service items, transformed into domestic or commemorative objects.

Napkin rings became common in Europe during the nineteenth century, particularly in middle-class households. They were used to identify an individual’s napkin at the dining table, allowing it to be reused over several meals without laundering. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, napkin rings were often personalised, engraved, or decorated, and they formed part of the formal table setting. An example such as this, incorporating military insignia, represents the adaptation of martial symbolism into a domestic context.

As an object, this napkin ring reflects the material culture of the German military during the Great War and illustrates how items bearing imperial and religious motifs could be reworked into everyday household objects. It stands as both a functional dining accessory and a small-scale expression of identity, belief, and remembrance connected to the First World War.

物件編號: X50

年代: 公元 1914-1918 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 51.8 x 48 x 41.3 mm

重量: 36.69 g

來源: 美國私人收藏 2020

這是一枚德國第一次世界大戰時期的餐巾環，鑲嵌有德國陸軍皮帶扣中央圓形徽章，徽章上刻有「GOTT MIT UNS」字樣。此環呈圓筒形，金屬製作，內壁平滑，外部表面略帶包漿。正面鑲有一枚圓形徽章，圖案為繩紋邊框圍繞之圓章，中央為帝國皇冠，下方環繞月桂花環，並刻有「GOTT MIT UNS」銘文。浮雕細節清晰，皇冠、字母與花環輪廓分明。

「Gott mit uns」意為「上帝與我們同在」。雖然此語與德意志帝國密切相關，但其思想淵源遠早於帝國時期。其概念源自《聖經》以賽亞書7章14節，其中希伯來名「以馬內利」（Immanuel）意為「上帝與我們同在」。自古代晚期以來，基督教統治者逐漸形成一種觀念，即君權與軍事行動受到神聖庇佑與正當性支持。四世紀羅馬帝國基督教化後，皇帝常將軍事勝利視為上帝支持的證明。拜占庭帝國亦延續此傳統，在軍旗與官方器物上使用基督教祈禱語與象徵。中世紀與近代早期歐洲，各國統治者亦使用類似語句，例如拉丁文「Deus nobiscum」（上帝與我們同在），以表達對天意與神聖庇護的信念。

在德語形式下，「Gott mit uns」於十八世紀初正式成為普魯士王國的王室與軍事格言，並在1871年德意志統一後由德意志帝國沿用。此銘文廣泛出現在軍用皮帶扣、軍旗及各類軍事徽章上。第一次世界大戰（1914–1918）期間，多數德國陸軍士兵所佩戴的皮帶扣上，皆鑄有皇冠與月桂花環環繞的「GOTT MIT UNS」銘文。

此餐巾環應為將該類皮帶扣中央圓章拆卸後，鑲嵌於圓筒形金屬環體之上所製成。其製作方式符合「戰壕藝術」（trench art）的特徵。戰壕藝術通常指士兵或戰後利用軍用物資、彈殼、制服配件等材料所製作的器物。第一次世界大戰期間，許多此類物件由軍用品改製而成，轉化為紀念品或日常用品。

餐巾環在十九世紀歐洲逐漸普及，尤其常見於中產階級家庭。其用途為在餐桌上辨識個人專屬餐巾，使其可於數日內重複使用而無需每日清洗。至十九世紀末與二十世紀初，餐巾環常被刻字、裝飾或個人化，成為正式餐桌擺設的一部分。此類融入軍事徽章的例子，顯示軍事象徵被轉化並融入家庭日常生活之中。

作為一件器物，此餐巾環反映了第一次世界大戰期間德國軍事文化的物質面貌，也展示了帝國與宗教象徵如何被重新製作為日常生活用品。它既是一件實用的餐桌配件，也是一種與戰爭記憶、信仰與身份認同相關的小型歷史見證。