A couple of Cultural items

[Thorsten B.]

I am sure a man like Robin Lumsden could - but he has been suspended.

What a waste and shame - I really miss him.

[David Fettes]

What a waste and shame - I really miss him.

Jeez sounds like he died!!! He will be back soon (not soon enough IMO)

[Thorsten B.]

Really?

Well, at least you miss him, too ;-)

[Thorsten B.]

Ok, back to the bowl:

It was made by the very same smaller pottery which received in 1935 the order to develope and produce a ceramic service and it´s design being inspired by nordic decor and runes and we all know which pieces I mean since they were exclusively for the use within SS-Schule Haus Wewelsburg and SS-Hauptreitschule München-Riem.

Robin mentioned in another thread opened by him that he saw egg cups from Wewelsburg castle offered and suddenly pulled in Ebay - these egg cups bear the very same mark.

Just an example of what was before 1933 and before official SS-art and design so I thought that this might be of interest.

[Michael Fay]

thorsten s false claims

Michael,

I do not want to make your piece looking bad - I want to help you saving money.

And it is not because of any Kindergarten cat fights due to a deal that did not went through between both of us - it is because I am sure that you bought that piece from a german collector/dealer.

And I am sure that this person is a member here on WAF!

Here within german collector scene several of these Art Déco types of wooden candleholders have been offered - with exactly your type of later added runic symbols.

Later added means: one buys a wooden candleholder from Art Déco period for about ten Euros or less on german Ebay and takes it to a wood carver.

For what?

Realizing and selling fakes, that´s it.

That is exactly why I asked you about the source which would be the key to the truth about your piece.

Indeed it was the very same piece that was recently offered to a collector friend of mine and he did not take it due to the stated reasons.

Steve´s "SS-chest" was also faked in the very same way and method and luckily he was able to trade it back for good reason.

So please stick to the topic and let us know more about your source - that will help other members saving money and that´s one of the reasons why this forum is in existence.

Well Thorsten isnt going to back up his false claims.
So...
Thorsten wrote "Later added means: one buys a wooden candleholder from Art Déco period for about ten Euros or less on german Ebay and takes it to a wood carver."

So lets take a very good look at my candle's runes to show how wrong Thorsten can be.

[Michael Fay]

see the grain

Look at this awesome grain popping out and you can also see it is carved straight from the same original block of wood

[Michael Fay]

close up

Look at this closeup: this shows the rune was on from beginning. It is patently not an added on later attachment.

[Michael Fay]

another view

Notice the close up on grain on edge of rune carries through onto the base of the holder.

[Michael Fay]

the ultimate proof

Notice this shaded view elicits an incredible view of the exact same grain lines of the base (candle base directly behind the rune) and the rune.

[Michael Fay]

final shot for now

A even closer close up of the shaded photo. Notice the bottom of the rune where you can see it is simply the same piece of wood, it is not applied at a later time. No, it is original.

This is a spectacular wood carved Leben rune candle holder.

I invite others comments,
thanks,
MF

[David Fettes]

Just a couple of quick questions Micheal if I may, how thick is the rune in mm? How much of a "flare" on the sides and back of each candle holder is there in relation to the flare at the front?

Can you post a side on photo please.

[Capt. R]

very nice Michael. Glad you found it - you needed a break, esp. recently. Hard to argue about that one!

[Thorsten B.]

Thank you for sharing these pics.

Nonetheless they are not convincing, at least not for me.

Why?

What we see is a thick wooden candleholder, definitely from the time around 1925 - 1955, yes, even after 1945 these pieces were made, especially in the so-called DDR in Thuringia for example.

The wood is so massive that on both sides it is easily possible for a good craftman to carve the Lebensrune symbol out of that thick material so to speak and that it still appears to be in proper shape.

If you like it - good for you.

I won´t - already the whole shape of the candleholder totally does not get in a harmonic way in common with the sharp masculine appearance of the Lebensrune itself.

That should tell you something.

[Steve T]

Interesting to see more photo's of this candle holder. Surely its one of those things where there will be differing opinion and all we can express is an opinion.

For me, the more I see of it the less I like it, its a simple design, there isn't much work involved and little skill required in producing it and yet the design and execution of the work leads me as a viewer with an awkward feeling towards it, an uncomfortable feeling, a lack of harmony and aesthetic in the shape as if the producer had no real eye for design.

It really difficult to say why I don't like the aesthetic but David's request for a photo in pure side profile would probably show some reasons for this, the stem area just below the rune appears thicker than the three arms, the rune tapers in the vertical, to me, just awkward design.

Of course it can be personally taste and we have to be able to be comfortable with our acquisitions. I like this area of collecting, it is less documented than many and there are risks but we are also learning together with these debates and of course, we won't always agree.

[Steve T]

Wooden single candle holder.