Lotte (Charlotte) Benter (Benter-Bogdanoff). 1918.
WIEDEREEHN - 1918 - (misspelling for WIEDERSEHN = Reunion - 1918). Cast bronze, natural patina, 101.5 mm, 300 g. Vorzüglich (extremely fine).
Obverse: High-relief head-and-shoulders profile soldier in
Stahlhelm to left, embraced by woman with tied-up hair in profile to right; title legend upper left quadrant rim.
Reverse: Low-relief profile family to left, father standing, young daughter standing if front, mother seated behind holding infant on lap, all facing branches of Christmas tree with candles; 3 lines inscription FRIEDE / AVF/ ERDEN! (Peace on earth!) in upper left quadrant field; artist's signature LOTTE / BENTER lower left.
Cf Schulman. 1919. La Guerre Européenne, Catalogue LXXV, p. 26, 233.One of Benter's best sculptural medal designs, the bitter anguish of war and defeat plainly evident on the soldier's face contrasting with the woman's relief and hope at the cessation of hostilities and the first peace-time Christmas in four years.
Having found no other published photographs of this medal, I wrote to the Imperial War Museum London (the only online collection listed as holding an example) inquiring if their medal also displayed the title misspelling noted above. Alexandra Walton, Curator of Art, First World War, Department of Collections, generously sent photos showing their example with the corrected spelling. That evidence indicates that the present example is an early cast or prototype produced before the mistake was noticed.