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E-Auction 48 17-19 Sep 2021
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Germany - Weimar Republic Medal by Karl Goetz "Black Shame" 1920
Karl Goetz Satirical medal, Gilded Bronze 58mm, 65.23g; THE WATCH ON THE RHINE (Die schwarze Wacht am Rhein) Obverse: A French colonial soldier, right. Inscriptions, "Die Wacht am Rhein!!" (The Watch on the Rhine!!) and "Liberte, Égalité, Fraternité" (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity). Dated 1920 Reverse:The Lorelei sits naked and tied to a tree which is in the form of an erect penis; a French helmet is on top. Lorelei's broken lyre is nearby. The Eye of God watches over from above. Inscription, "Die schwarze Schande" (The Black Shame). K•G in exergue. This medal was Goetz' protest for the arrival of black colonial French troops to occupy the Rhine territory. Most certainly a ploy by the French to humiliate the Germans, Goetz was obviously livid with the action. Here we see his vitriolic response over several 'reported' rapes and sexual excesses by these occupying troops. History now shows that these fears were unfounded and reports of rape were more exception than rule.
Karl Goetz Satirical medal, Gilded Bronze 58mm, 65.23g; THE WATCH ON THE RHINE (Die schwarze Wacht am Rhein) Obverse: A French colonial soldier, right. Inscriptions, "Die Wacht am Rhein!!" (The Watch on the Rhine!!) and "Liberte, Égalité, Fraternité" (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity). Dated 1920 Reverse:The Lorelei sits naked and tied to a tree which is in the form of an erect penis; a French helmet is on top. Lorelei's broken lyre is nearby. The Eye of God watches over from above. Inscription, "Die schwarze Schande" (The Black Shame). K•G in exergue. This medal was Goetz' protest for the arrival of black colonial French troops to occupy the Rhine territory. Most certainly a ploy by the French to humiliate the Germans, Goetz was obviously livid with the action. Here we see his vitriolic response over several 'reported' rapes and sexual excesses by these occupying troops. History now shows that these fears were unfounded and reports of rape were more exception than rule.