Eagles

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Carved Sea Eagle from an Unit in Norway (Item EAGLE 1-2; WAF 14-11; SS 38-12)

DESCRIPTION: The noble sea eagle has been a revered symbol of the Viking Norse warriors in Norway and Sweden for centuries. This (der Seeadler) was emblazoned on their shields and often on the frontal sail of their long ships. The bird had sacred connotations to these brave raiders. Likewise, the 15,000 men of the Norwegian volunteer forces and Wehrmacht recruits highly honored this magnificent predator. It is strange, however, that not one of the uniform insignia reveals depictions of this bird because in National Socialist Germany the eagle is predominant on practically everything. It is noted here that at a certain antique store in Germany an old woman had brought a large package that was being carried by her grandson. It contained a curious wooden sculpture. One year earlier she had promised our picker that she would bring “next year” a very precious item owned by her late husband who was a volunteer in the Waffen-SS Division “Viking” and early on had been a member of a Norwegian fascist party, Nasjonal Samling (N.S. for National Unity). Unknown to us but revealed later was the fact that among the recent recruits at that time there was a small but elite unit known as the Headquarters #4 of the Norske Legion, known also as Frontkjempermerke. So great was the spirit within them concerning the fight for Norway and Europe that they celebrated by establishing a communal barracks that was beautifully furnished with such things as carved Viking-era chairs, dragon ships on maneuver, and this wonderful carved Seealder with runic SS insignia. When these men went to war first as the Norske Legion the lady’s husband who had assisted in the carving made sure to take a wonderful carving of the Norse God Wotan, a magnificent huge Viking chair, and the carved sea eagle back to his home and it stayed there in their possession for the last 70-plus years. The lady wanted to keep all the other items, but consented to let the Seeadler go and that is how we came to own it today. The carving is nothing short of phenomenal; possibly the best wood sculpturing we have ever seen. Norwegian woodcarvers are world renowned to be the equal to the craftsmen of Germany’s Black Forest. The Eagle The feathers of the chest and wings are incredibly real looking. This is a “regal eagle” indeed from beak to claw. We believe he was used as a hanging device for coats of the officers because of the hooklike branches; six in all that extend from the carving above. There are clam-shaped objects, but probably are barnacles. They are seen butting up against the wreath that contains the runes. Please look carefully at our images and take in the beautiful detail of the work—every feather is really a separate art piece. The bird is fairly large, measuring from its bottom branch hook to the top of its head at 21 inches and from the right branch to the left it measures 35 inches. The wingtips from side to side measure 21 inches across. There is a metal ring on the back that was used by the original owners to suspend it on a wall. It is obviously unique and certainly historically important to the history of the foreign volunteers of the Waffen-SS. Footnote: These large raptors are commonly known sea eagles or white-tailed eagles. In Norway, the locals refer to it as the sea eagle; hence, Seeadler (havørn in Norwegian). More than half of their population is in Norway. Except in the extreme north of the country, these birds are year-round residents there. Some are found in sizeable populations in Greenland and Germany. They have the largest wingspan of any eagle and are closely related to the bald eagle. They build their nests on coastal cliffs. Food is usually fish, but sea eagles are opportunistic and will eat mammals and other birds. It is certainly reasonable and even obvious to see that the Norge units would admire and gravitate to using this magnificent bird for the mascot of their particular corps. This creature is like the organization, itself—the elite of the species. PRICE: SOLD

Back view

Helmet is for viewer perspective only

Interesting combination presented for artistic appreciation

Kurt Schmid Ehmens Bronze Sculpture of the Magnificent Eagle of the German Pavilion at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris (Item EAGLE 1-8; PARTEI 2-11 & ART 9-1A; BRONZE 1-5)

DESCRIPTION: Earlier on these pages, in the description of the Nuremberg Tribune Eagles by the artist Kurt Schmid Ehmen you will have read about our fortunate discovery and purchase of several of those wonderful eagle sculptures that were cast in the late 30’s and early 40’s at the Preussische Bergwerks u. Hutten A.G. in their Gleiwitz Foundries near Berlin. The artist, of course, of this eagle was none other than Herr Kurt Schmidt Ehmen (1901-1968). You can read about him and the Bergwerks foundry in the narrative at PARTEI 2-10 (above). Ehmen was the “Adlermeister” of the Third Reich and you can see mention of many of the most famous sites throughout the Reich where his sculpted masterpieces were displayed. We have cited several places that the National Socialists considered sacred or sacrosanct and the works of this artist were effectively employed, the list is most impressive. This Adlermeister or ‘Eagle Master’ was considered one of the finest bronze sculptors of Germany and right up there in the ranks of Arno Brecker and Josef Thorak. After the Party Congress eagles were unveiled and presented to the German public there was a huge demand for artistic renditions of them. The Nuremberg eagles were produced in zinc castings, bronze sculpture, and even sometimes in wood by the Black Forest carvers in the Alps. They were sold as souvenirs throughout the Reich especially at the stores in Nuremberg and surrounding areas at the time of the rallies and the ones that were in bronze by the Bergwerk u. Hutten were considered the best! They were definitely high-end souvenirs and were not made for any particular Party group or function. They were really quite costly in their day. Compared however to the white metal figures made mostly in Bavaria, they cost much more but were really superior in design and general good looks. Very dramatic in design. There was one sculpture however by Schmidt Ehmen that artistically exceeded the Tribune Eagles and that was the lofty, resplendent eagle that was created to be on the top of the Great Exhibition Hall in the German pavilion of the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. This was the absolutely majestic edifice designed by Albert Speer, Hitler’s great ‘Architect Extraordinaire’ and it was Kurt Schmid Ehmen who Speer commissioned to design and build the giant eagle that was seen dominating the view over all of the exhibition grounds. The power and majesty of this tower and this eagle figure were extremely awesome. At one point in time we had in our possession a scrapbook that belonged to the family who were the owners and proprietors of the Prussian Bergwerk u. Hutten AG. The family had collected photographs of the construction of the famous Paris eagle and also some great ones of the artist himself and his crew at work. There was also a great photo of the German Führer Adolf Hitler as he views two Schmidt Ehmen eagles along with architect Speer, prior to the finished masterpieces being erected. Now in a much more limited number thanks to our picker we received four of the Paris Exhibition bronze models that were produced at Gleiwitz at the same time as the Nuremberg eagles. The Paris eagle is much larger, bolder and a bit more detailed and although at first glance it looks very similar it is decidedly different and of course mounted much differently. With the gorgeous three tier marble base, the sculpture measures almost 20 inches high. The bronze eagle by itself is 10 inches high and 10 inches across the wing span. The base is in three separate marble tiers, The largest standing vertically that directly supports the eagle stands at 6"x 5" and 2 inches thick. The next horizontal piece of marble that the above marble piece is standing on is 9 x 3 inches and the bottom plinth is 11 inches long and 1 inch thick. The piece weighs a “heavy” 33 pounds. It is our opinion that this eagle has to just about be one of the finest and greatest relics of the Third Reich. There are items that are even rarer and certainly more expensive but when I think of the typical aesthetic style of the Thousand Year Reich, the first things that come to mind that reflect all the glory and power present at that time, would be the 1936 officers dagger with chain hanger and the Kurt Schmid Ehmen eagle. Nothing to me is in the end, more purely National Socialist. The Bergwerks foundry did not produce marble. That material had to be obtained back then at a nearby quarry firm near Gleiwitz. So everything was as it should have been and as it was in the Third Reich. The color, the size, the construction of the base is done to perfection and the marble or granite is in fine jet-black perfect stone. So in essence, the entire first sculptures were 100% original. The eagles are unsigned. The only one that we encountered signed was the pilot piece, and we think it was the single exception. We want to make it clear that no company still in existence today officially sold us these first eagles...they were bought from the relative of a onetime company official who was able to preserve them in secrecy all these years and now thought they should be out there in the collector and museum world. This eagle would make the ultimate center piece of any fine collection. Here is a noble bird that commands respect and dignity and could be the most overpowering item in your house other than possibly “the little lady”! PRICE: SOLD

Helmet is for size perspective. Bronze eagle is for size perspective Third Reich Book Postcard of the Reich Hitler and Leni Reiefenstahl looking up at eagles

Huge Hand Carved Nuremberg Stadium Eagle (Item EAGLE 1-10; PARTEI 4-4)

DESCRIPTION: Here is a stupendous carving that replicates the Gigantic Stadium Eagles from the Reich Parteitag (party congress) held at the ancient city of Nuremberg. Two of these massive eagles graced the pillars or plinths in the Luitpoldhain section of the party buildings that form the Reich Parteigalände or party compounds of the NSDAP (Nazi Party). These beautiful and ultra dramatic rallies were held in the years 1923 to 1938 in the Luitpoldhain field. And the Zeppelin field.The famed sculptor Kurt Schmid Ehmen designed, sculpted and cast two massive eagles or “Deutsche Adler”.  We are not sure if this is the original eagle carving that he might have used as a model for the gigantic pieces   but in speculative theory we might even say that it could be an Entwurf or original draft for the stadium eagles coming from the studio of Prof. Ehmen. The eagle was found in a shop in Nuremberg in 2004. Then again it might have been carved by some masterful wood carver for some special exhibition of Volkskunst “Art of the Folk”. Could this have been executed for the purpose of special display sitting above a door to an SA or SS headquarters or Kasserne? We may never know but we do know that the Schmidt Ehmen Eagles made quite a stir among the German people when first unveiled in a” Special Somber Ceremony” almost immediately various pictures, bronze statues, plaster of paris and wooden depictions of them were produced and sold. If you go to PARTEL 2-10 you can see original bronze castings that we unearthed in Germany. These were the much beloved souvenir of the rallies (expensive in their time). The man who we purchased this big one from had two of a smaller size in wood ¼ as big. We bought and sold one of these a few months back. These eagles were revered symbols of a strong and vibrant people whose agenda was the return of the mighty Reich of “Karl Der Grosse” a Reich that brought forward once more the glory and majesty of ancient Rome but ruled and governed by the “Herrenvolk”.The ideological heirs of the Germanic“Imperium”. If anything represented all of this to the  German people it was envisioned and personified in the visage of this pair of great stadium eagles. This piece is magnificently carved with all the magnificent detail of the Ehmen originals. It is truly huge.  The wood employed seems to be European oak. We cannot imagine any relic of the Reich being so prodigiously impressive and beautiful. Of all the various art pieces of the Third Reich nothing, absolutely nothing would be more Germanic than this wooden masterpiece of Volkskunst. Sizes noted: From bottom of the plinth to the top of the eagles head measures 47 ½ inches (almost 4 foot high). The base is 21 x 13 x 6 inches deep. The wings each are 27 inches wide and 34 inches long from top to bottom the swastika is 5 inches all around. The wreath diameter is 16 inches. You can see we have offered various some size perspectives in some of the pictures. We set a standard helmet beside the eagle in one picture and one of our bronze eagles in another picture or two. This is a great Third Reich relic; possibly the greatest! It is extremely heavy and as you can see HUGE. It will take special crating and truck shipping or by sea container if it goes back to Europe. The price is quite reasonable when one considers that you would be buying a fantastically important and significant relic of the Reich; gone but not forgotten! $15,500.00   This is possibly the greatest bargain we have ever offered.  PRICE:  SOLD