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Bataille de la Marne Medal
Bataille de la Marne Medal
Bataille de la Marne Medal

Bataille de la Marne Medal

Maker
Period1916
MediumBronze
Dimensionsdiameter: 0.25 × 2.63 in. (0.6 × 6.7 cm)
SignedThe medal is signed "J. P. Gastelois" along the bottom edge of the recto and the bottom edge of the verso. The Paris Mint cornucopia mark and "BRONZE" is stamped along the medal's edge.
ClassificationsThe Robert Hartshorne World War I Collection
Credit LineGift of Mary Minturn Adams in memory of her Hartshorne Ancestors, 2018
Object number2018.10.20.2
DescriptionA circular commemorative medal struck in bronze. On the obverse, relief images of Marshals Joffre, Maunoury, and Gallieni gaze towards the right, with the inscription "BATAILLE DE LA MARNE / SEPTEMBRE / 1914" around the edge of the medallion. Below the figures, the medal bears the artist's signature "J. P. GASTELOIS." On the rim edge of the medal is the Paris Mint cornucopia mark with "BRONZE." On the reverse, A romanticized scene includes the female personification of France in armor and helmet, wielding a sword, flying above massed troops. along the left edge of the medal is a line of Parisian taxi cabs and buses, while in the far background can be seen the Eiffel Tower and the city of Paris itself.
Curatorial RemarksThis powerful bronze medal was struck in honor of the First Battle of the Marne. In early September of 1914, French forces under the direction of Marshals Joseph Joffre, Michel-Joseph Maunsoury, and Ferdinand Foch, German forces were prevented from advancing into Paris. The victory at Marne ended with the Germans retreating to the Aisne, where both armies dug trenches that would keep the war at a stalemate for five more years. Early in the battle, radio intercepts from French aircraft reconnaissance marked the first time such technology had been used in battle. Joffre ordered the requisition of Parisian taxis and buses to transport reinforcement troops, another first in modern warfare. Sculptor and artist Jules-Prosper-Joseph-Marie-Edmond Legastelois was born in Paris in 1855. He studied under Eugene Levasseur, Emile Carlier, Oscar Roty, and Georges Tonneier. Legastelois received numerous medals and awards during his career as a celebrated Art Nouveau sculptor and medalist, including silver and bronze medals at the Universal Exposition of 1889. Legastelois died in Paris in 1931.NotesThis medal was collected by Robert Hartshorne during his service in the First World War. Hartshorne joined the American Red Cross in 1916. His association with that organization apparently put him in touch with the American Committee for Devastated France, which intended to introduce modern American farming methods in those battlefield areas heavily damaged near Rheims. Hartshorne arrived in France in May of 1918 and returned to the United States at the end of December the same year. Hartshorne collected numerous medals, uniform insignia, and souvenirs commemorating his time abroad. For a more complete biography of Robert Hartshorne, please see the portrait miniature of Robert Hartshorne (accession number 2018.10.9).
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