Ludwig Gies 1914 WWI German Art Medal
cacheman
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Ludwig Gies
'Mortar in Firing Position'
1914, Cast Bronze Uniface Medal, 62.5mm, 90.0g., Ernsting WVZ 56, Eight known (six museum, two, private collections)
Three heavy guns, camouflaged on hills by bulwarks, miniature soldiers pull carts with cannon balls piled high on them while an officer sights in the target behind the guns.
A rare early war piece where Gies shows weapons of war. He soon becomes a pacifist using strictly Medieval allegory to convey the futility of the war.
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Comments
Wow, rare piece. Its interesting how the cannons are so prominent.
There could be more the one opinion, but they are likely being rendered in a way to suggest phallic symbols.