At the very start of the First World War, in early August 1914, neutral Belgium was attacked and occupied by German troops. In the process, the industrial cities on the Meuse suffered great destruction. Such was the case with Dinant, which Richard Müller passed through with his unit in October of the same year. Like a war correspondent, he captured the damage to bombed-out buildings and landscapes in numerous drawings.
This curious view of toppled medieval armour in the citadel museum at Dinant fascinated the artist with its resemblance to fallen soldiers.