A 500 year old sketch provided Chris DeCamillis RM1183 with the inspiration for this "Durer's Sketch" carving. "In 1508, during the period of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Albrecht Durer sketched a picture of an anonymous black man. The status of the black man is unknown to us today. By researching the routes of the Trans Atlantic Slave trade, one can speculate about the position of this man. By thoroughly analyzing Durer's sketch, Head of a Negro, we could learn about the man's physical appearance as well as Durer's artistic style." � African American History Through the Arts: Durer's Head of a Negro (cghs.dadeschools.net/african-american/europe/durer.htm) � ~ V-Dubya

This Lee Griffiths RM712 "Watch on the Rhine" carving was based on Karl X. Goetz' 1920 medal protesting 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. Goetz' medals were produced quickly in order to retain their topical interest and in doing so, the medals became primarily expressions of emotions rather than a well-planned intellectual effort. Still, an almost continuous stream were produced in the form of reasonably priced castings made in base metals. "Text and medal image provided by Henry Scott Goodman at KarlGoetz.com" � The Art Work of Karl X. Goetz: WWI Satirical Series (www.karlgoetz.com/index1.html) � The Watch on the Rhine: The Military Occupation of the Rhineland (ebookee.org/The-Watch-on-the-Rhine-The-Military-Occupation-of-the-Rhineland-_294558.html) � ~ V-Dubya