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Description: | obverse design : skull, right profile, crowned and leering, its neck formed from a writhing serpent
obverse text : "ET.REGNABAT.POTESTATE.HORRIBILI.ANNIS.MCMXIV.XVI+"
reverse design : warrior, full-length figure facing left, wearing the crown of St Stephen, holding the hilt of a point grounded sword in
his right hand and carrying an oval shield on his left arm. By the figure's left foot an orb
reverse text : ".SI.DEVS.PRO.NOBIS QVIS.CONTRA.NOS."
In this 1916 medal Elizabeth von Esseö laments the triumph of war, with all its attendant tragedies and discord for the
peoples of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The vile and leering crowned skull, personifying Death, is complemented by Latin text translated
as 'And there was reigning in the years 1914-1916 with horrible power'. The imagery of the reverse design offers hope for the future by
reference to an invocation to the patron saint and former King of Hungary, St Stephen (969-1038) and a Latin prayer translated as 'If God
(is) for us who (shall be) against us'. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | First World War & 1914 = 1916 Death satirical Religion | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Esseö, Elizabeth von | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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