Shield and Boats

Stabilimento Stefano Johnson|Emilio Monti

1936 · Struck medal of copper alloy with reddish brown patina. · Robert Lehman Collection

The obverse depicts a shield with swords and spears in front of Gondar castle in Ethiopia, and boats at the shore of Lake Tana, Ethiopia. On the reverse is a stylized bird’s wing with three groups of airplanes dropping bombs. This medal was minted by the firm of Stefano Johnson in Milan. It commemorates three battles during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia by Mussolini’s Fascist forces in the first half of 1936: at Harrar (29 March), at Gondar (2 April), and at Lake Tana (12 April). The year XIV (1936) refers to the Fascist chronology. For a discussion about Emilio Monti, see catalogue entry No. 115.

Artist

Stabilimento Stefano Johnson|Emilio Monti

Date

1936

Medium

Struck medal of copper alloy with reddish brown patina.

Culture

Italian

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975