Anton Grath. 1915.
TU UM DEIN —— SCHWERT —— ZÄUM' AUF DEIN ROSS / UND ZEUCH —— VORAN —— DEM HEERE! / ES GILT —— DIE —— DEUTSCHE EHRE / SANKT MICHEL SALVA NOS (put on your sword, bridle your horse and lead the army! It stands for German honor. St Michael save us). Single-sided cast iron, blackened, 68.00 mm, 61.60 g. Vorzüglich (extremely fine).
Haloed saint in knight's surcoat to left, upright lance right hand, sword left side, mounted on standing warhorse, arched necked, long, combed mane; four-lined title legend separated by image; last line in exergue; year date 1915 center below horse's belly; artist's signature A. GRATH lower right above exergue.
Cf: Weisser, B., "Medailleure in Deutschland während des Ersten Weltkriegs, Teil 11: Theodor von Gosen und Anton Grath", MünzenRevue Heft 9, 2015, pp. 37 - 43 (text and illustration, pp. 42 - 43, bronze example). The legend on this medal is taken from the first verse of an 1899 poem "Der deutsche Michel" by the Austrian poet and priest Ottokar Kernstock (1848 - 1928), later transcribed as a choral work by Arnold Schönberg among others: "Sankt Michel, der vor Gottes Thron / Hält mit den Engeln Wache, / Du bist der Deutschen Schutzpatron; / Entscheide unsre Sache! / Tu um dein Schwert, zäum' auf dein Roß / Und zeuch voran dem Heere! / Es gilt die deutsche Ehre! / Sankt Michel, salva nos! (St Michael, who stands guard with the angels before the throne of God, you are the Germans' patron saint; decide our cause! Put on your sword, bridle your horse, and lead the army! It stands for German honor! St Michael save us) (Weisser, pp. 42 - 43). The Archangel (St) Michael is the patron of military forces in many Roman Catholic countries.