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Description: | obverse design: monster, six headed and winged, facing right, having the taloned forelegs of a dragon, the hindquarters of
a lion and the heads of a cock, two lions, bear, ape and serpent symbolising France, Belgium, Britain, Russia, Japan and Serbia
respectively. At the base of the design an infant, naked except for bersagliere's hat, symbolising Italy, suckling itself at the monster's
breast
obverse text: "DER BVND DER TVECKE" & "MCMXV"
reverse design: Last Judgement, representation of, God personified by the bust, full face, of an old man with flowing hair and beard
appearing above a bank of clouds holding a crescent bladed hand sickle, blade uppermost, in his right hand. Beneath the clouds four lines
of embossed text and at the base of the design multitudinous tongues of fire flare upwards, symbolising the world in flames
reverse text: "SCHLAGT IHN TOT! DAS WELTGERICHT FRAGT EVCH NACH DEN GRVENDEN NICHT!" & "H.v.KLEIST" (in small characters)
In this 1915 satirical piece Goetz criticizes the treachery of Italy (a notional Germany ally in 1914 as a member of
the Triple Alliance) displayed by her sympathy for and eventual commitment to the cause of the Entente, as demonstrated by her declaration
of war against Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915. This act, Goetz argued, represented not only a fatal political and military miscalulation
but also a crime of such magnitude that it could never be forgiven. The obverse text is translated as 'Alliance of crafty spite' and the
reverse text, a quotation from Heinrich von Kleist, as 'Smite him dead! The Day of Judgement will not ask your reasons!' | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | First World War & Alliance satirical Allied Powers & 1915 | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Goetz, Karl | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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