Miniature blackened bronze cross pattée with lateral loop for ribbon suspension; the face with an oval central medallion bearing the head of King Ludwig III facing left from the portrait by Professor Bleeker; the reverse with an oval central medallion bearing the date ‘7. I.1916’ imposed on the lozenges of the Bavarian arms; on probably replaced correct ribbon. The Cross was instituted by King Ludwig III on 7 January 1916 to be ‘a commemorative sign and recognition of thanks for those persons who during this war have performed with particular merit for the army or for the general welfare of the homeland through official and voluntary activities’ (als Zeichen ehrender und dankbarer Anerkennung für solche Personen, die sich während dieses Krieges durch dienstliche oder freiwillige Tätigheit in der Heimat besondere Verdienst um das Heer oder um die allgemeine Wohlfahrt des Landes erworben haben). The Cross was cast in the Royal Bavarian Mint in Munich and was originally of blackened iron but in the later stages of the war, as a result of shortages of strategic materials, zinc was substituted. This example is of blackened bronze and is exceptionally fine. The Cross is rarely found in miniature.
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