Artillery shell casing, souvenir, marking the conquest of Jerusalem in the First World War, bearing inscriptions and decorations mocking the defeated German army. Jerusalem, December 1917.
Engraved brass, inlaid with copper and silver (damascening).
Artillery shell casing from a German canon shell, 75 mm, bearing, at center, the emblem "Reichsadler" ("Eagle of the Reich"); two smiling skulls donning the characteristic German army "helmets with a spike" ("Pickelhaube") engraved with the inscription "German Militarism". Under the skulls is the mockingly humorous inscription "Gott mit uns" ("God is with us").
The notation "Souvenir of the Conquest of Jerusalem. Dec. 1917" appears around the perimeter of the base of the shell casing.
17.5 cm. Overall good condition. Wear and blemishes. Open fractures to upper rim and base.
