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Karl Goetz - 1919 "The Good Samaritan" Medal
Zohar
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1919 Karl Goetz - "The Good Samaritan" Medal
Cast bronze
89.5mm, 238.80g.
K-229
Obv: In classical style, a wounded and naked male is lying on the ground. Uncle Sam, as the samaritan, holds a bill of sale with high prices before the blank stare of man's eyes. A donkey, loaded with sacks and containers of food, stands nearby.
Rev: A starving mother with child and four old men are lying on the ground starving behind a barbed-wire wall with "Blockade" written within it's coils. On the other side of the wall relief ships loaded with foodstuffs can be seen sitting idle on the water.
In response to the lifting of the blockade on July 12, 1919. Interesting reference to this medal in this 1990 New York Times editorial - LINK
"Karl Goetz's most satrical medals were struck after the end of the war when the Allies extracted a vengeance at the peace tables that it never got on the battlefields. One - the Good Samaritan medal - will be sold Wednesday evening, June 13 at 7 P.M. The medal depicts Uncle Sam with a fully-laden pack mule at his side. At his feet is a mostly nude male with his arm in a sling representing the batteredGermany. Uncle Sam is shown presenting a long scroll demanding reparations while provisions are still packed on the mule. Goetz was incensed that the United States would renege on its promise to take care of a defeated Germany and side with the European nations demanding reparations from Germany."
Cast bronze
89.5mm, 238.80g.
K-229
Obv: In classical style, a wounded and naked male is lying on the ground. Uncle Sam, as the samaritan, holds a bill of sale with high prices before the blank stare of man's eyes. A donkey, loaded with sacks and containers of food, stands nearby.
Rev: A starving mother with child and four old men are lying on the ground starving behind a barbed-wire wall with "Blockade" written within it's coils. On the other side of the wall relief ships loaded with foodstuffs can be seen sitting idle on the water.
In response to the lifting of the blockade on July 12, 1919. Interesting reference to this medal in this 1990 New York Times editorial - LINK
"Karl Goetz's most satrical medals were struck after the end of the war when the Allies extracted a vengeance at the peace tables that it never got on the battlefields. One - the Good Samaritan medal - will be sold Wednesday evening, June 13 at 7 P.M. The medal depicts Uncle Sam with a fully-laden pack mule at his side. At his feet is a mostly nude male with his arm in a sling representing the batteredGermany. Uncle Sam is shown presenting a long scroll demanding reparations while provisions are still packed on the mule. Goetz was incensed that the United States would renege on its promise to take care of a defeated Germany and side with the European nations demanding reparations from Germany."
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Comments
8 Reales Madness Collection
Someone must have made such promises. Was it Uncle Sam, or the German propaganda, I don't know. What I see, is politicians of a country not delivering what they promised they would.
I remember this medal from cacheman's posts. The satirical ones were always my favorites.
myEbay
DPOTD 3
Nice medal and nice story behind it
<< <i>Goetz was incensed that the United States would renege on its promise to take care of a defeated Germany and side with the European nations demanding reparations from Germany."
Someone must have made such promises. Was it Uncle Sam, or the German propaganda, I don't know. What I see, is politicians of a country not delivering what they promised they would.
I remember this medal from cacheman's posts. The satirical ones were always my favorites. >>
Germany wanted war and got war times two, they didn't care that their people suffered.
But the medal speaks for itself.
Our civilization and humanity are tested when the strongest force such despicable terms to the weakest.
myEbay
DPOTD 3
His medals are depictions of ideas that Hitler and the Nazis later used to condition the German people for WWII.
It is interesting to see how Goetz does not accept the outcome of WWI.
<< <i>I apologize if I offended the OP or others here, I just have a hard time separating the artist from his political statements.
His medals are depictions of ideas that Hitler and the Nazis later used to condition the German people for WWII.
It is interesting to see how Goetz does not accept the outcome of WWI. >>
BigB, to be fair, the Germany of 1919 that was disgusted with the Allies' negotiations wasn't an automatic path to 1933/ww2. There were many events that brought the Germany of 1919 to the Germany of 1933/34. It's probably not fair to criticize Goetz' coin satire for the latter.
I find all of these medals really cool! Thanks for sharing.
<< <i>BigB, to be fair, the Germany of 1919 that was disgusted with the Allies' negotiations wasn't an automatic path to 1933/ww2. There were many events that brought the Germany of 1919 to the Germany of 1933/34. It's probably not fair to criticize Goetz' coin satire for the latter.
I find all of these medals really cool! Thanks for sharing. >>
These are propaganda pieces, satire is not really the right word. The German military never took full responsibility for the 1918 defeat, they created a legend that it was a betrayal from those in the home front, especially Jews.
If you look at his Foch medal you can see the racist elements in the depiction of the so-called sub-races that the allies had the audacity to bring into the fight against a white race. Other medals show caricatures of French African troops suggesting the rape of pure German women.
I'm convinced that if we could see more of his later work including his Austrian Anschluss Medal, it would be obvious that he was a Nazi or a strong sympathizer.
Goetz did nice work, but from an extreme right-wing perspective. Were is a link to one of his WWII medals: Karl Goetz Kreta Medal
German and indeed, most European artists went through and created many dark works in the post WWI period.
ETA: Sorry, BigB's comments reminded me, ignore hijack.