Margit Valsassina*.  1917. 

"Archaic warrior" (obverse) / "St Christopher" (reverse).  Hexagonal cast iron, blackened, 69.7 x 60.0 mm, 56.43 g, delicately oxidized patina.  Vorzüglich (extremely fine), slight abrasions to blackening.

Obverse: On raised ground-line exergue, archaic Greek warrior in corselet and crested helmet striding to left alongside bridled horse; in left hand diagonal lance and round shield with ship motif; right hand trailing behind, dragging crocodile (dragon?) skin; two-line inscription WENN UNS NICHTS MEHR ÜBRIG BLIEB / SO BLIEB UNS DOCH EIN SCHWERT (if nothing more remained to us / there yet remained a sword) in exergue; poet's name E. v. —— GEIBEL beneath inscription, left and right, respectively; year date 19 [Iron Cross] 17 at lowest point of hexagon; artist's monogram interlaced MV lower left above exergue; thin raised rim. 

Reverse: Above raised ground-line exergue, robed St Christopher with staff exits river on stepping stones to right, frame bent under the weight of haloed Christ Child on  shoulders pointing right; diagonally descending line, left to right, across background; two-line inscription WENN DIE NOT NICHT EISEN BRICHT / DAS EISEN BRICHT DIE NOT (if distress breaks not the iron / the iron shall break distress) in exergue; poet's name E. v. —— GEIBEL beneath inscription, left and right, respectively; year date 19 [Iron Cross] 17 at lowest point of hexagon; artist's monogram interlaced MV lower right on stone above exergue; thin raised rim.



Margit Valsassina*.  1917.  "Archaic warrior".  Hexagonal single-sided cast iron, blackened, 111.37 x 90.77 mm, 183.27 g.  Integral suspension hanger at top point of hexagon.  Vorzüglich (extremely fine).

Image, inscriptions, and signature as above description obverse, but upper edge with double-stepped raised border rim, outer and wider band contiguous with raised exergue.  (There also exists a single-sided companion piece of St Christopher image, also with hanger.) 

Cf: Wipplinger, Eva.  1992.  Medaillenkünstlerinnen in Deutschland.  Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg Halle, p. 128 (ancient warrior; single-sided example with integral hanger).

Cf: Klose, Dietrich O. A.  2016.  Europas Verderben 1914 1918: Deutsche und österreichische Medaillen auf den Ersten Weltkrieg,  p. 62: 4.6 (two single-sided plaquettes with integral hangers treated under same entry).

*Pseudonym of sculptress Margarethe Klementine Maria von Österreich, Fürstin (Princess) v. Thurn und Taxis (1870 - 1955.

Inscriptions drawn from a verse of "Kriegslied" (war song) by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884): Und wenn uns nichts mehr übrig blieb, / So blieb uns doch ein Schwert, / Das zorngemut mit scharfem Hieb / Dem Trutz des Fremdlings wehrt; / So blieb die Schlacht als letzt' Gericht / Auf Leben und auf Tod; / Und wenn die Not nicht Eisen bricht, / Das Eisen bricht die Not. (And if not more remained to us, / There yet remained a sword, / That with sharp and wrathful blow / Resists the malice of the foe; / So battle stayed as final judge / Over life and death; / And if distress then breaks not iron / The iron shall break distress - my (un-poetic) translation).

Arthur Storch.  1910. 

EROEF - FNVUNG / DES■ZO - OLOG● / GAR - TENS / MVEN - CHEN / ★ 1 9 1 0★ (opening of the Zoolog[ical] Gardens Munich 1910).  "Hawk-eagle and snake".  Cast bronze, verdigris patina, 73.9 mm, 143.17 g.  Vorzüglich+ (extremely fine+).  Rare.

Obverse: On conifer branch, hawk-eagle perched, to right, with snake writhing in talons.  Inscription V. ——  Z.G. (V[erein] Z[oologischer] G[arten] - Association of the Zoological Gardens) left and right, respectively; artist's monogram ligatured AST･ lower left; slightly concave field, relief images and letters; raised rim. 

Reverse: Growing upwards at center from pearled ground-line stylized Robinia(?) with drooping branches across upper field; five-line title inscription divided by tree trunk; year date in exergue; relief images and lettering; raised rim.

Cf: Habich, Georg.  1909/10.  "Eine Medaillen-Konkurrenz" in Kunst und Handwerk 60, p. 235: no. 436, 437.

Cf: Köcke, Ulrike.  1975.  Katalog der Medaillen und Plaketten des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts in der Kunsthalle Bremen, pp. 142 - 143, ills. 154, 155 (see note below).

Cf: Salaschek, Sunhild.  1980.  Katalog der Medaillen und Plaketten des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts im französischen und deutschen Sprachraum in der Hamburger Kunsthalle, I (text): p. 393: no. 1625; II (Studien und Tafeln): pl. 116.

Cf: Heidemann, Martin.  1998.  Medaillenkunst in Deutschland von 1895 bis 1914. Die Kunstmedaille in Deutschland, Band 8, pp. 320, 470: no. 1057-01).

Köcke (p. 143) refers to a variant reverse for this medal illustrated in Bernhart, M., Die Münchener Medaillenkunst der Gegenwart, 1917, pl. 54: 365, but this is a misunderstanding.  The reverse of the medal shown in Bernhart's image 365 is in fact the reverse of image 367, depicting a Black Rhinoceros on the obverse.  Both sides of the rhinoceros medal are shown and labeled in Heidemann (p. 470: 1057-05) Vs and 1057-05) Rs). 
 
Most descriptions of this medal label the bird as a "Harpyie" (i.e. Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyia), but that is clearly not the species depicted.  It is, rather, a generic hawk-eagle or another crested eagle-like raptor, but it is impossible to be more accurate.

The Verein Zoologischer Garten München e.V. [eingetragener Verein] (Association of the Zoological Garden, Munich, registered association) was founded in February 1905, and opened the Zoo to the public 1 August 1911.  In 1909 and 1910, Arthur Storch designed a series of eleven medals of various sizes, depicting different animals, to commemorate the inauguration.  The present medal is one of the largest of the group.

Arthur Storch.  (1909/1910). 

Cast bronze, medium-brown patina, 30.20 mm, 13.51 g.  Vorzüglich (extremely fine).

Obverse: Profile spider monkey walking along leafed branch to left, face to viewer, tail raised and curled above back; Artist's initials A.ST in exergue formed by branch; pearled border. 

Reverse: Stylized laurel-wreath border, three-line inscription ✻ / V Z / ✻ G ✻ (V[erein] Z[oologischer] G[arten] - see below); raised rim.

Cf: Habich, Georg.  1909/10.  "Eine Medaillen-Konkurrenz" in Kunst und Handwerk 60, p. 235: no. 445 (ill. obverse).

Cf: Salaschek, Sunhild.  1980.  Katalog der Medaillen und Plaketten des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts im französischen und deutschen Sprachraum in der Hamburger Kunsthalle, I (text): pp. 395 - 396: no. 1634; II (Studien und Tafeln): pl. 117.

Cf: Heidemann, Martin.  1998.  Medaillenkunst in Deutschland von 1895 bis 1914. Die Kunstmedaille in Deutschland, Band 8, pp. 320: no. 1057- 10) (not illustrated).

The "Zoologischer Garten München e.V. [eingetragener Verein]" (Zoological Garden, Munich, Registered Association) was founded in February 1905, and opened the Hellabrunn Zoo (Tierpark Hellabrunn) to the public 1 August 1911.  In 1909 and 1910, Arthur Storch designed a series of eleven medals of various sizes, depicting various animals, to commemorate the inauguration.

Arthur Storch.  1912. 

∾PETER✶GUSTAF✶DORÉN✶.  Cast bronze, medium-brown patina, partly burnished, 71.8 mm, 135.48 g.  Vorzüglich (extremely fine).

Obverse: Profile portrait bust in frock-coat to right; title legend in double-lined border. 

Reverse: Profile peacock to left, head turned back to right, in front of stylized orange tree, in upper half of field; pearled exergue line; four-line inscription DEN･22･MÄRZ / ∾ 1887 ∾ / D･22･MÄRZ / ✶1912✶ (22 March); artist's initials A∙ST∙ at left above exergue.

Cf: Salaschek, Sunhild.  1980.  Katalog der Medaillen und Plaketten des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts im französischen und deutschen Sprachraum in der Hamburger Kunsthalle, I (text): p. 396: no. 1635; II (Studien und Tafeln): pl. 117.

Cf: Heidemann, Martin.  1998.  Medaillenkunst in Deutschland von 1895 bis 1914. Die Kunstmedaille in Deutschland, Band 8, pp. 125, 377: no. 103.

25th anniversary celebratory medal.  Peter Gustaf Dorén (1857 - 1942) Swedish decorative painter; trained in Sweden, continued studies in Düsseldorf, Paris, and Hamburg; from 1887 managed an atelier for decorative painting and the "Werkstätte für Wohnungskunst" (Studio for Home Decor) in Hamburg.

Maximilian Dasio.  1908. 

IO — ƧEF･FLOSSMANN･AETATIƧ･ƧVAE･XLVI･A･D･MCMVIII❀ (Josef Floßmann in the year of his age 46, AD 1908).  Cast bronze, medium-brown patina, 67.68 mm; 153.61 g.  Edge-punch ･I ･X — I.  Vorzüglich (extremely fine).

Obverse: Portrait profile head and collar bust of subject to left, hair and beard extending into double pearled borders enclosing title legend; artist's signature ･DAƧIO･PICT･ (pictor = artist) under collar-cut of the bust. 

Reverse: Naked Prometheus in profile left to right, lying upon rock, head thrown back, back arched, knees raised, shackled arms twisting in agony as eagle perches on his torso; inscription HOMINES FECISTI (you have made mankind) in exergue under rock ground line; artist's initial D— upper right; pearled rim.

Cf: Hofmann, Helga D.  1974.  Kleinplastik und figürliches Kunsthandwerk aus den Beständen des Münchner Stadtmuseums 1880 - 1930, pp. 32, 35: no. 16 (ill. reverse).

Cf: Weber, Ingrid S.  1985.  Maximilian Dasio 1864 - 1954: Münchner Maler Medailleur und Ministerialrat.  Staatliche Münzsammlung München, pp. 46 - 48: no. 35 (full-page illustration).

Cf: Salaschek, Sunhild.  1980.  Katalog der Medaillen und Plaketten des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts im französischen und deutschen Sprachraum in der Hamburger Kunsthalle, I (text): pp. 82 -83: no. 326; II (Studien und Tafeln): pl. 24.

Cf: Heidemann, Martin.  1998.  Medaillenkunst in Deutschland von 1895 bis 1914. Die Kunstmedaille in Deutschland, Band 8, p. 131, 380 (ill): no. 133.

Josef Flossmann (1862 - 1914) was a Munich sculptor and artist colleague of Dasio.  Much of his sculpture was designed to be integrated into architecture in Munich and southern Germany.