The medal's obverse bears a nude male figure, maybe Hercules, wrestling a powerful steer by the horns.
The medal's reverse bears perched eagle before diminuitive buildings. Across lower half, ALLEN GEWALTEN ZUM / TRUTZ SICH ERHALTEN / NIMMER SICH BEUGEN / KRÄFTIG SICH ZEIGEN / RUFET DIE ARME / DER GOETTER / HERBEI; signed above exergue, R BOSSELT
The poem on the reverse is the second verse of Goethe's "Cowardly Thoughts." While the first verse lists negative behaviors resulting in disaster, the second verse provides positive patterns. It translates roughly to:
To persist, despite all powers arrayed against you,
to never bow down,
to always show strength,
will raise the arms of the gods on your behalf.
This is a beautiful and relatively rare medal. The interplay between the dark patina and the modeling of the muscles gives the medal an unusual depth. The medal was used as an award by the German section at the International Exhibition in Brussels in 1910. Bosselt seemed to be en vogue at that time. His Athena graced the reverse of the American Numismatic Society's medal in the same year.
The circular medal measures 65mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Carl Poellath Company of Schrobenhausen, Germany.