Oskar Alexander Kiefer.
1919. PAX VERSAIL- / LENSIS. (Peace of Versailles.). Cast bronze, medium brown patina with some natural bronze highlights, 89.5 mm, 285.5 g. Edge-punch artist's monogram interlaced AK encircled by O, inset. Vorzüglich (extra-fine). Very rare.
Obverse: on a ground-line a winged, serpentine dragon coils across field from left to right, her neck upright at right as she turns her head back, arches her back and gives birth to eleven offspring; two-line title inscription in exergue; year date 1919 above artist's monogram interlaced AK encircled by O at upper left under dragon's wing-claw.
Reverse: 12-line inscription AM 23 JVNI 1919 / HABEN IN VERSAILLES / VNTER BRVCH FRVEHERER / VERSPRECHVNGEN STAATS- / MAENNER SEINER GEGNER / DAS WEHRLOSE DEVTSCHE / VOLK VNTER ANDROHVNG / VON HVNGER VND GEWALT / ZVR ANNAHME MAASS- / LOS HARTER FRIEDENS- / BEDINGVUNGEN GE- / ZWVNGEN (on 23 June 1919, at Versailles, by breaking earlier promises, statesmen of its foes forced the defenseless German people by threat of hunger and violence to accept immeasurably harsher peace terms).
Cf: Stemmermann, P.H. 1988.
Oskar A. Kiefer, ein Ettlinger Bildhauer: Leben und Werk, zweite überarbeitete und ergänzte Auflage, p. 74 (ill. obv. p. 77); p. 113.
This prescient medal mirrors contemporary widespread sentiment that the harshness of the
Versailles Diktat (dictated peace) would engender a brood of monsters.