{"product_id":"wwi-german-patriotic-bar-brooch-oak-leaves-red-stones-iron-cross-1914-pendant","title":"WWI German Patriotic Bar Brooch Oak Leaves Red Stones Iron Cross 1914 Pendant","description":"\u003cp\u003eA First World War German patriotic bar brooch in gilt metal, formed with the stepped, grooved profile of an artillery shell's driving band, set with a spray of oak leaves and three red paste stones, and hung with a miniature Iron Cross 1914. The bar measures approximately 2¾ inches (7 cm) long and ⅜ inch (1 cm) high, with the pendant cross hanging a further ⅝ inch (1.6 cm) below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bar is a narrow, slightly curved strip with a wavy upper edge and a face stepped into a series of shallow, angled facets, the profile of the raised bands and grooves on the copper \u003cem\u003eFührungsring\u003c\/em\u003e (driving band) of an artillery shell. Across the face runs an applied spray of oak leaves and acorns, finely chased, with three small faceted red paste stones in raised collet settings at the left, the centre, and the right. The reverse is closely fluted from edge to edge and fitted with a long horizontal pin on a tubular hinge, running to a C-shaped catch. From a small ring at the centre of the lower edge hangs a miniature Iron Cross with a silver-toned frame, its black centre bearing the royal crown at the top, the cypher \"W\" at the centre, and the date \"1914\" on the lower arm. The reverse of the miniature is plain. No maker's mark is visible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDriving bands, the soft copper rings pressed around the base of an artillery shell to grip the rifling of the gun and seal the bore, were among the most common raw materials of the soldier-made and souvenir craft known as trench art. Once a shell had been fired, the band, scored by the rifling, could be recovered from the battlefield and cut, bent, and filed into rings, bracelets, letter openers, and brooches. The ridged, stepped profile of the band became a recognisable motif in its own right, and commercial makers in Germany also produced patriotic jewellery in the same form, struck in gilt metal and decorated with oak leaves, the Iron Cross, and the date 1914. The oak, the national tree of Germany, stood for steadfastness and strength, and the Iron Cross, re-instituted by Wilhelm II on 5 August 1914 and awarded in millions during the conflict, was the most familiar emblem of German military service and sacrifice. Brooches of this kind were bought and worn by women at home as a sign of support for husbands, sons, and brothers at the front, and they were sold in large numbers in the first years of the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrooches of this form are often described as trench art made from a driving band. The even gilding, the cast oak spray, the stone settings, and the regular fluting on the reverse are consistent with workshop manufacture in the driving-band style, and whether the bar was cut from a fired band or made to imitate one cannot be confirmed from the piece itself. The wearer and maker are not known.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition is good. The gilt finish is bright overall, with light wear to the high points of the facets and the oak spray and a few small scratches on the face. All three paste stones are present. The pin, hinge, and catch are intact. The miniature cross is complete, with its black centre intact and light wear to the silver-toned frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePatriotic jewellery of 1914 to 1918 records the home front of the war as directly as any object of the period, and brooches combining the driving-band form, the oak leaves, and the Iron Cross bring together three of the strongest images of German wartime sentiment. This example, with its stones and suspended cross, suits a collection of German patriotic jewellery, Iron Cross material, or the home front of the First World War.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51417691193583,"sku":"17-293","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/17-293_1.jpg?v=1793996736","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/wwi-german-patriotic-bar-brooch-oak-leaves-red-stones-iron-cross-1914-pendant","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}