La Borne de Terre Sacrée (Landmark of Sacred Earth), Gaston Deblaize

Deblaize was a French sculptor and ceramicist who served during WWI. After the war, Deblaize designed these commemorative terracotta vessels to raise awareness and funds for veterans living with facial disfiguration because of wartime injuries and residing in the home for Gueules Cassés, or broken faces. The containers, which emulate the style of mile markers along the road to Verdun, France, contain soil collected from this infamous battle site. The Battle of Verdun was one of the longest conflicts of the war, lasting nearly ten months (February 21–December 18, 1916).

Sculptor and veteran soldier of the First World War (1914–1918), Gaston Deblaize made commemorative terracotta milestones that held dirt from Verdun, France. Although WWI was known as the first mass global war of the industrial age, the Battle of Verdun was its longest conflict, lasting 303 days. These objects were made to memorialize milestones along the sacred road to Verdun. The artist eventually made larger versions that were dedicated to men who had lost their lives, but smaller terracottas like this one were originally sold to benefit soldiers in the home for les Gueules Cassés, or broken mouths or faces. Each was filled with soil samples taken from Verdun.