|
|
|
|
Third Reich Art
Page 11
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Wagnerian Plaque (Item ART 11-2; OLD 4-14) |
|||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Here is an absolutely beautiful art metal plaque depicting Wotan and Brünnhilde. We had a painting of this very same scene that was sold; however, at that time the cast of characters was unfortunately misnamed. We do make a mistake now and then! The scene is in actuality Wotan’s farewell to Brünnhilde. To see more about this see Item ART 10-1. The plaque is in pewter or (Zinn) and measures about 13 x 10 inches. The condition is excellent and it is in part 3rd dimensional in that the arm of the god Wotan extends out of the scene (literally) and he clutches his lance, which is wholly 3rd dimensional (completely separate from the depiction, yet part of the scene). This was popular motif at the turn of the 20th century. There is a presentation inscription at the bottom of the plaque: ‘Ludwig Treutler s/l Joseph Grates in memory of Stratsund 14 1 08.’ Could this be a memory of when the two gentlemen attended the Wagnerian opera as ardent admirers of his ring cycle? We will probably never know. It is at best interesting speculation. In any case, here is a beautiful relic of a bygone age of splendor and glory.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
|||||||||
Kunst dem Volk (Item ART 11-3; SPECIAL SALE) |
|||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Produced by Hitler’s photographer, this small 5 x 7 booklet is in immaculate condition. It comprises 48 pages with color and black-and-white illustrations. Included are some of the most famous of the Third Reich paintings and sculptures. This small edition of a much larger magazine was especially produced to be distributed to the soldiers of the German Wehrmacht--much more thought provoking and nicer than Betty Grable or even Marlene Dietrich. Here is noble and inspiration art (our opinion!)
PRICE: $125.00. The item has been specially reduced to $72.00 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bund Deutscher Mädel Bust in Wood (Item ART 11-4; YOUTH 5-9) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Are you ready for the ultimate in Third Reich art and culture? This hand-carved bust portrait of the BDM girl could easily be construed as: “What it was all about.” The perfect Nordic-Aryan female in all her Teutonic glory is portrayed in the natural medium of oak (the holy tree of Germany). Here is the strength and beauty of “Germania” depicted by a master artist, who signs his name as W. Wiesbrock, who lived in Paderborn. This was and is an important object d’art to the NSDAP Bewegung (idea). The BDM represented the highest ideals of young womanhood. Der Bund deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls) The Bund deutscher Mädel, which was also known by its abbreviation of BDM, was the female branch of the overall German youth movement in the Third Reich, the Hitler Youth. Membership in the Hitler Youth was open to all German girls and boys who were at least ten years old or older. Membership requirements were simple: prospective members had to be Germans who were of no more than one-eighth Jewish heritage, and had to be physically and mentally sound. Once a girl reached 18 years of age she was expected to join the National Labor Service, the Reichsarbeitsdienst, but she was allowed to remain a member in the BDM until she either got married, had children, or decided to quit the BDM and go on to other pursuits. The majority of BDM leaders on the regional and national level, as well as the BDM’s medical staff consisted of ladies with university degrees and job training who were in their late twenties or thirties. In 1936, membership in the Hitler Youth officially became compulsory under the Hitler Youth Law. However, this was often not enforced until after the outbreak of the war because the voluntary membership already included most eligible girls in Germany. The Hitler Youth Law mainly served to originally recognize the Hitler Youth as part of the German regime, which opened up the possibilities of monetary contributions from the government, without which a lot of the Hitler Youth’s activities and programs might not have been possible. Besides preparing the young women in the Bund deutscher Mädel for what were meant to be their future tasks in the community, the BDM also offered a wide variety of other activities that were attractive to potential members and that were very similar to what is offered by youth organizations today. BDM members were able to get reduced rates at movie theaters, go on field trips, and attend camps that lasted anywhere from one day to several weeks. They were also able to compete at local, statewide, and national sports festivals, and attend youth festivals with international participants. Local BDM groups usually held two get-togethers each week, one of which was a sports afternoon, the other of which was called Heimatabend, or home evening. During the home evening, girls played music, learned and sang folk songs, played games, or did arts and crafts. After the outbreak of the war, they also used this time to write letters to soldiers at the front, or prepare care packages for them. The BDM placed big importance on the girls’ educations and expected that they would finish school and learn a trade, which was something that was often unheard of for women at that time, many of which worked as untrained helpers or secretaries. Many of the ladies who became regional and national leaders of the BDM were successful women who held degrees and doctorates, and served as a positive example to the girls they led. BDM leaders were always supposed to set a good example, and as such were discouraged from smoking or drinking in public. The aspect of learning a trade appealed to many of the young women who joined the organization, and it made the BDM appear progressive and emancipating. In the Hitler Youth, girls were almost equal to their male counterparts, which was very unusual for its time. They were able to partake in many of the same activities such as traveling, sports, and regional and national vocational competitions. Only few activities, such as the motorized Hitler Youth, remained closed to girls, although the national youth leadership allowed groups to get additional programs started if interest and funds were available. It was only until shortly before the outbreak of the war, that the BDM began including programs that were geared more toward the “traditional” roles of the women. The Glaube und Schönheit, or Belief and Beauty Society, was founded in 1939, and many of its courses were geared toward house-holding and child care, and “feminine” sports such as eurythmic dancing. The Early Years After the First World War, while Germany was suffering through a horrible depression and the strict sanctions imposed on it by the Treaty of Versailles, the German Youth Movement went through a revival and many new youth groups were formed. Some of them were scouting groups while others were mainly nature or hiking clubs. It comes as no surprise that even in the early days of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the NSDAP or Nazi Party, which was originally founded in 1920, youth groups played an integral role was well. Although none of these groups were centrally organized within the Nazi party at first and started out with only a few members, they quickly gained popularity and their numbers grew. Out of all these groups, the Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung (Greater German Youth Movement), which was founded by 20-year-old law student Kurt Gruber, became active as early as 1923 and was eventually christened the Hitlerjugend at the 1926 party rally at Weimar. Although there was now a male youth organization, there was not yet an official female organization, but plenty of young women whose brothers were members of the Hitler Youth had begun forming their own groups which became known as Hitlerjugend Schwesternschaften, or Hitler Youth Sisterhoods. The girls’ groups still remained widely overlooked and it wasn’t until 1930 that the actual Bund deutscher Mädel was officially founded. Although the group was now official, membership was still much lower than in its male counterpart, and the BDM would never be able to reach quite the same numbers that the Hitler Youth had. By the end of 1932, directly before Hitler’s takeover, the BDM was only about 25,000 members strong. From the official inception of the Hitler Youth in 1926 throughout most of the existence of the Hitler Youth and the Bund deutscher Mädel, Baldur von Schirach served as the head of the organization with the title of Reichsjugendführer, which literally translates to National Youth Leader. Von Schirach reported directly to Hitler. From the very beginning, the female part of the Nazi party, the Nationalsozialistische Frauenschaft (NSF), tried to gain control of the female youth which it thought better taken care of under the heading of the female section of the party than the male leadership of the overall Hitler Youth, but Hitler himself decided otherwise. The head of the BDM was the BDM Reichsreferentin, who reported to Baldur von Schirach, but who was in charge of the BDM without having to wait for “male” approval for their decisions. According to Jutta Rudiger, who held the rank of Reichsreferentin from November 1937 through the end of the war in 1945, both Baldur von Schirach and his late-war successor Artur Axmann, let the BDM leaders run their own organization and only offered advice and an open door if there ever were any concerns or problems. The BDM’s Work While the male Hitler Youth’s work consisted of mainly paramilitary training, the work of the Bund deutscher Mädel consisted mostly of the very same things girl scouts enjoy today–sports, camping, orienteering, first aid, and arts and crafts. Some of the BDM’s activities included the following: Sports–Physical training didn’t play as important a role as it did in the male Hitler Youth, but it was still an important part of their work. Each BDM group held one weekly sports afternoon that was instructed by older BDM girls, and sometimes Hitler Youth leaders. Sports generally included track and field events as well as gymnastics. Some regions also offered fencing, ice skating, or rowing clubs. Organized trips–At a time where few people traveled on their vacation, organized trips and summer camps were an exciting opportunity for the girls of the BDM. Trips were organized to local events and sights, as well as to national, and even some international events. Other times, foreign youth groups visited BDM girls at home in Germany, which was a great opportunity for youth from many different countries to get to know each other. Charity work–Similar to girl scouts today, BDM girls back then also helped with charitable work, such as collecting work for the Winterhilfswerk which supported poorer families by providing them with heating coal and warm clothing during the colder winter months, or collecting old clothing or old newspapers for new uses. With the outbreak of World War II in fall of 1939, the Bund deutscher Mädel found itself in a delicate position. On one hand, the Nazi party now wanted the girls to be educated more toward the traditional roles of women–to be mothers and homemakers–, but at the same time the war ironically placed women in the position of having to fill jobs formerly taken by men in both civilian life as well as in the armed forces. Women now became air-raid wardens, military signals auxiliaries, and stenographers, but they also served in more traditionally female wartime roles as nurses, troop supporters, or stayed home with the children. For the BDM, the war also necessitated some changes to their schedule. When local groups met now they often spent time sending letters and postcards to soldiers at the front; knitting scarves, wool socks, or ear warmers for the troops; or making care packages. Group choirs now often practiced songs that they would later perform for wounded soldiers at hospitals throughout Germany, and girls would wait for trains with soldiers to arrive to welcome them with flowers, sandwiches, or coffee. “Train-station services,” in particular, became an important part of the work with the BDM Gesundheitsdienst, or health service, where girls–many of whom had little more than basic first aid training–would welcome injured soldiers and refugees at the train station and make sure they were taken care of. Most of the time, they provided hot drinks, hot soup, or sandwiches; helped people find their way around the station, and helped with some nursing care if it was needed. The girls of the Gesundheitsdienst wore white nurses’ aprons with the Hitler Youth diamond insignia and a kerchief-style head covering with the insignia of the Gesundheitsdienst, a runic insignia shaped similar to the letter “Y.” Many of the older BDM girls also took job positions and placements that would be considered full-time jobs in addition to school, to help as nurse aides, substitute teachers, or factory workers. The BDM’s own publication, Das Deutsche Mädel (The German Girl) magazine, featured ads for stenographers, and nurses once the war had started, and had articles about girls working as ticket agents on trains, or as nurses, that were meant to get them excited about “doing their part” as well. Unlike the male Hitler Youth which took a very active part in the last-ditch defenses at the end of the war, the girls in the BDM generally did not take part in the fighting, although many helped to fortify towns or dig trenches to stall the advancing Allied troops. Although Martin Bormann had sent a letter to the regional leaders suggesting that women and girls should also be trained in the use of weapons for self-defense, many girls took up arms against the Allies, and those who did mainly did so against the Russian army in the East which, they were told, was raping and killing any women they came across. The Hitler Youth and the Bund deutscher Mädel, together once the largest youth organization in Europe–maybe the world–found itself in ruins and disbanded at the end of the war, just like the political party they’d originated from. Credit to author Chris Ashby, who is the author of much of the above information. The bust is about 15 inches high to include the base. The bust alone is about 10 inches high. The angelic, but strong, countenance is typical Teutonic with the Aryan physiognomy very evident. The base that measures 5 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches bears a bronze plaque 4 1/4 inches square that simply says: “BDM 1938” flanked by the symbol of the parent Hitler Youth Organization. The wood on the base has cracked over the years, but is holding well. We don’t think it will go anywhere. The head is perfect! We consider this relic to be the personification of the ideals of a youthful dream now lost to the more realistic agenda of Orwell’s 1984 that is now upon us. Blut und Ehre. PRICE: SOLD |
|
|||||||||
Bust in Wood of Adolf Hitler (Item ART 11-5; AH 16-5) |
|||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: This is an awesome sculpture in wood. It is a 100-percent genuine Third Reich object d’art in life-size likeness. It may have been a Hitler Youth project. There were advanced woodworking schools within that organization and some of the work turned out was artistically phenomenal. This particular rendering is excellent. We have often noted that to capture the likeness of a personage in wood carving is considered much more difficult than to paint it on canvas. Whoever created this one certainly knew what he was doing. All the features that have come to be known of the Führer’s countenance are there. As always with carvings in oak, there has been one crack discernable at the left side behind the ear. This invariably happens at some point. Thank goodness it finally happened at a point where it hardly matters. It would have been terrible if it would have been in the face area. Please understand this will happen on each and every oak-carved piece that is this large. The bust from the bottom of the neck to the top of the head measures about 14 1/2 inches and from the back of the head to tip of the nose about 11 or 12 inches. The entire wooden sculpture is covered with some sort of very thick application of heavy-duty paint that has been applied back then (the 1930s) to approximate in looks a bronze sculpture. It is unfortunately not signed. The original base was probably in quartz or marble and is no longer with it, but the previous owner had a wooden plinth made and it sits on this quite well. The plinth measures 8 inches square and 5 inches deep and is very well constructed. This is much more rare than a bronze bust. In many years of research in German N.S. art we have never even heard of one. At two points: one at the neck in back and one at the back of the head the paint has lifted exposing a bit of the darkened oak underneath—easy to repair if need be. We don’t touch up original works of art. This we would consider one of the most important art pieces that we have encountered in many years. It’s a true museum specimen of rather high sculpture’s art.
PRICE: SOLD |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Book by Wolf Willrich Des Edlen Ewiges Reich (The Noble & Eternal Reich) Ahnenerbe Edition (Iem ART 11-5A) & AHN 3-2A) |
DESCRIPTION: This is the later edition of the book found above at Ahnenerbe 3-1 except it is a later edition from 1943 the book was so popular that it was published from 1938 to 1943. See our description in AHN 3-1. One of the most beautiful and historically important books of the 3rd Reich almost the ’Grail book” of Germanophiles such as myself (I have my own treasured copy). This edition has a different cover with the profile of a Nordic beauty gracing it like a noble Aryan Goddess of old. This volume is in near mint condition and its rarity is further edified by the fact that it is one of the books from the SS Leadership Schools at Burg- Wewelsburg. Go to our Wewelsburg section for more information about this castle and its deep meaning to the SS and Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler. These books are extremely rare and most of them were destroyed by the “culture distorters” after the war and it was their mission to make the Scared Fatherland into a nation embracing the worst of the American “Coca-Cola culture”. It is very fortunate that we are able to offer you this wonderful volume and even more pertinent and propitious is the fact that it formally was in the library of the Deutsches SS Ahnenerbe library at the castle. The stamp with the words ‘Bibliothek Wewelsburg’ in a circle are found inside the front cover. Just about this is a long rectangular configuration with the word Haüptbucherei. This means the main library. The book measures 8 x 11 and it has a plastic dust cover that has served over the later years to preserve it in the great shape it is in. PRICE: $345.00 |
|
||||||||
|
Porcelain Day Badge for Exhibition (Item ART 11-6; NSD 11-8) |
||||||||
| DESCRIPTION:This beautiful little badge, or sometimes known as a tinny, is from a very important exhibition of the porcelain arts held in the city of Weiden in the area of Germany known as the Oberpfalz. This town has long been known as a center for the manufacture of fine porcelains and kitchen-table china, as well. Most of the dinnerware from the tables of WWII military groups was produced by Bauscher Weiden. You have probably seen their mark on many pieces of white stoneware the military and semimilitary. Also, each had the symbol of their individual corporations such as Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, DAF, SS, etc. The Weiden mark is an oval with Bauscher Weiden around its inner dimension. In the middle are the letters ‘BW.’ The badge is made of the finest white hard-paste porcelain with a bank of orange flashing. At the top it says ‘Bayer Ostmark’ (Eastern Bavaria) and ‘Nat. Soz. Grenzland Kundgebung.’ This stands for ‘National Socialist Border and Exhibition.’ Under this is ‘Weiden Obpf.’ and the date of the exhibition ‘28. Mai 1933;’ the year of the ascension of Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP. The eagle and swastika on the piece are in the early preelection style known as the Kampfzeitadler. The coat of arms is the city Wappen, or logo for Weiden still used today and first granted 15 January 1516, from Prince Ludwig of the Pfalz. We have made this a rather lengthy description, it is true, but it is because we feel that this little Tag Abzeichen is very rare and prodigiously important not only to NSDAP history, but to the advanced porcelain collector or researcher as well.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
||||||||||||
|
Very Special Signed Editon of Vienna’s Art Magazine Kunst dem Volk (Item ART 11-7) |
||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: This issue of KUNST DEM VOLK, Art of the People, is signed by the wife of Martin Bormann. Bormann was the head of the party chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler. The signature is of Gerda Bormann. The Bormann’s had 10 children. Frau Bormann was always a connoisseur of the arts, herself. She was the daughter of the Chairman of the NSDAP, Walter Buch. Adolf Hitler himself was a witness to their wedding. The dedication in the front page of the book is to a Bubi, probably a young boy’s nickname and it was given in memory of a visit to the Bormann house in 1940. The noble-looking, sad, but beautiful Aryan Frau Bormann is pictured inside on page 46 and undoubtedly this is why she was asked to sign the book. There are 54 pages of great art studies within including paintings, drawings, and sculptures by such greats as Wamrer, Elk Eber, Kolbe, Scheurle, Fritz Klimsch, Arno Breker, Hermann Pagles, and many other names of artistic fame in the Third Reich. Here is a very important historical treasure.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
|||||||||||
Three-Dimensional Plaque in Iron of the Führer (Item ART 11-8; AH 17-1; BRONZE 2-8; BRONZEMET 2-12) |
|||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: This is without any hesitation, incredible. It is an iron sculpture that could be called a plaque or a bust. Should we choose to call it a plaque it must be noted that it is completely 3-dimensional, standing out in amazing relief. You could also use the terminology, “one-quarter bust.” It measures 13 inches high and 7 3/4 inches across from ear to ear and 11 inches across the shoulders. The likeness is astounding and it depicts the Führer in the uniform shirt of the Kampfzeit (the struggle for power). The sculpture was accomplished in 1933 by an artist by the name of J. Ave. This was the Seigesjahr, or time of victory, for Hitler and the NSDAP. This is a heavy sculpture and the fittings on the back are structured to possibly be attached to a wooden plaque or possibly to an architectural wall, somewhere. We have been at this business for a very long time and have visited Kampfzeit collections in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., and Austria and we have never seen the likes of this one. We believe it is probably unique. On the backside it has the impressed wording: “Fr. Köster Heide” and something to the extent that copying it will be highly Verboten (forbidden). This also convinces us that this is a one-of-a-kind artistic endeavor. It is much rarer than any Hitler bust in bronze. This is an early treasure of the Third Reich that truly belongs in a museum or a notable collection.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Book Architektur und Bauplastik der Gegenwart (Item ART 11-9; NSD 12-5) |
||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: The title of this book translates to: Architecture and Building Sculpture for our Times. It was written by Werner Rittich and is the finest of the textbooks on Third Reich architecture. Every one of the beautiful Third Reich buildings is shown, as well as sculptured figures such as eagles, etc., are depicted. Famous artists such as Paul Ludwig, Troost, Kurt Schmid Ehmen, Georg Kolbe, Albert Speer, Josef Thorak, Arno Breker, Josef Wackerle, and many others will go down in history as the ‘best of the west.’ It comprises 160 pages with a fabric cover. It measures 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches and is in beautiful shape throughout; both cover and pages. This is the ultimate book for the student and admirer of art of the Third Reich. No volume published in that period can compare for these clear, precise images and inspiring depictions. Here it is and it won’t last long on our pages.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
|||||||
|
Booklet Theater der Stadt der Reichsparteitag Nuernberg (Item ART 11-10; PARTEI 3-5) |
|||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Here is a 24-page booklet from the Nüremberg Opera House. Opera was a major attraction within the Reich of Culture, and the NSDAP stood firm in its support of this, the highly important pastime. They loved it like so many Americans love rock music and ‘gangsta’ rap. It simply was a different world. In any case, here is the pictorial handout that was prepared as sort of a coming-attractions featuring the stage set-ups and opera stars of the age. Wonderful faces we direct your attention to Klara Klotz, Ise Mannes, and Anny Rieder: Nordic beauties, all. The faces of most of the gentlemen seen here also reflect Aryandom unlike some of them that got out of Germany like Peter Lorre. So Germania presents the Spielzeit (play period) 1941/42 in Nürmberg.
PRICE: SOLD |
Page Eleven |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
Please E-mail for any additional information you may need.
