Esseö, Elisabeth (Erzsébet) von. 1917
・DEMETRIVS・KONYOVICS・ÆT・S・XXIX (Demetrius Konyovics aetatis suae XXIX - in the year of his age 29). Blackened cast iron; 55.6 mm, 55.85 g; fast gussfrisch (near as-cast). Rare.
Obverse: Profile of aviator in uniform collar to left, title legend surrounding edge, small float-biplane beneath portrait; artist's monogram, encircled ligatured ƎE mid-right.
Reverse: Heraldic rampant griffin to left, lightning bolts shooting from front claws; legend surrounding upper edge SIC ・ ITVR ・ -- AD・ -- ASTRA (thus one goes to the stars, i.e. such is the way to immortality); legend lower edge A・D ★ 1917・; artist's monogram beneath image.
Cf Schulman. 1919. La Guerre Européenne, Catalogue LXXV, p. 97: 892.
Cf Huszár, Lajos, and Béla Procopius. 1932. Medaillen- und Plakettenkunst in Ungarn, p. 199: 1925; plate XXVIII (example in Kriegsmetall).Demeter Konjović (also Konyovics, Konjovits, etc.) was a renowned flying boat pilot of the K u. K (i.e. Austro-Hungarian) Navy in the Adriatic. Some German propaganda art mistakenly depicted him piloting float-planes, hence the inaccurate aircraft image on this medal. Perhaps the hybrid nature of the griffin reflects the hybrid nature of seaplanes.