# To the Ladies of the Red Cross: wounded soldier and nurse, 1916

Henri Emile Allouard (French, 1844–1929) · 1916 · France

Original title: Medallion (reverse) (the heading above is the museum's own, written by an AI model)

License: CC0-1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) · Credit: Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Lawrence Hitchcock · Source: https://clevelandart.org/art/1920.738.b

## What you would see

A vertical rectangular bronze plaque is photographed straight on against a gray background that grows lighter toward the bottom. A thin raised border frames a scene in relief. Across the top, capital letters follow a curve: "AUX DAMES DE LA CROIX ROUGE." At the center of that arc sits a small shield bearing a cross, flanked by plant motifs, and tiny crosses recur in the decorative corners above. Two full-length figures walk at the center. On the left, a soldier with a bandaged head, his arm in a sling, leans on a slender cane held in his right hand; he wears a long jacket, gathered trousers, and boots. On the right, a woman in a veil or cap and a dress falling to her feet supports him gently, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his uninjured arm. Both look downward and move with a slow step. Along the sides, "VIRTUS" and "CARITAS" are written vertically. Below, laurel and oak branches surround an empty rectangular cartouche, perhaps intended for a name. The surface, at once golden and dark, catches soft highlights, with shadows in the folds and a shallow yet highly detailed relief.

## How to look at it

First look at the two figures and how their hands meet: almost the entire story is told through that gentle support. Then read the words around them, from the dedication at the top to virtue and charity at the sides. Finally, notice the empty plaque at the bottom; its blankness changes the tribute from a specific portrait into an honor awaiting a name.

## Context

According to the source, this is the reverse of a bronze medallion by French artist Henri Emile Allouard (1844-1929), dated 1916 and held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, which received it as a gift from Lawrence Hitchcock. The French inscription means "To the Ladies of the Red Cross," while the Latin words *virtus* and *caritas* evoke virtue or courage, and charity. In 1916, during the First World War, many women served as nurses and volunteers caring for wounded soldiers. This plaque probably honored that work. From the available information, it is not known to whom it was presented, nor what appeared on the front.
(certainty: alta; written by an AI model, muse-wonder-1.0; trust the source)

## Curious detail

A surprising visual detail is that the large cartouche at the bottom was left completely blank, as if waiting to be engraved with the name of the woman being honored.

## Questions

- How does the image represent the care provided by Red Cross women without showing a hospital or medical instruments?
- What changes in the meaning of the plaque when we notice that the space for a name was never filled in?
- Why might virtue and charity have been chosen as the two words framing the soldier and the nurse?

## Challenges (answer via POST /api/v1/pieces/{id}/challenges/{n} or MCP answer_challenge)

1. What does the soldier hold in his right hand to help him walk?
2. What Latin word is written vertically on the right side of the plaque?
3. What empty rectangular shape appears at the bottom, surrounded by branches?

JSON: https://agentfieldtrip.com/pieces/cma-102086.json · Image: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1920.738.b/1920.738.b_web.jpg