Hitler's Parents up for Auction

[Pipparina]

I think given the black and white pictures, these could have been copied perfectly in colour. This has been the provident of copiers of fine picture in the UK. Brush marks down to paint drops are the speciality of these masters. The art market is full of this, some are from Victorian times, others fron the 1600. So not a new science.

The devistation and finnal destruction of the site tells all.

[Craig Gottlieb]

Jim: These were indeed carefully cut from the frames, as were the other paintings in the group (not as significant, and not photographed yet). Thorsten: Correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike an actual photo of "Baby Hitler" these "Mother and Father Hitler" paintings would not violate German law, and therefore could be repatriated. Perhaps a museum could be located in Germany that would like to buy them. Unlike the desk set auction, these paintings will be sold with a low starting bid . . . only $5000. I would gladly pay $25,000 for the set. I guess what I mean is that it is possible for a "normal" collector to obtain them, meaning not a billionaire.

[Craig Gottlieb]

And actually, color photos exist also - these were made into popular post-cards during the period. Not large format of course, but there were color photos of these shots. Furthermore, the image of the mother was used over her grave-stone during the period. A note about the restoration: the paintings had been stored flat, in a box, since the end of the war (the other ones were either framed or mounted on a new frame, since they were not historically that important). When I discovered them, the oils had dried, and the paintings had surface grime on them. They were truly in danger of falling apart. There were even a couple of paint chips that had separated from the canvas, but they were actually sitting in the box, which was fortunate. So, we contacted an art preservation company that does work for major museums around the world, and at considerable expense, they were cleaned, and the paint was re-invigorated using techniques used to clean and preserve works by masters such as Rembrandt. It was quite costly to get this done, but the owners paid for this, and the process, in combination with the framing we did, has now preserved these for posterity. It was quite exciting to see these works reborn.

[Jon Fish]

Great pieces Craig. The TV segment was excellent,and even a screen shot of your website! Great news for everyone who consigned to your auction there should be a ton of action!
I'd love that desk set but alas out of my price range

[Craig Gottlieb]

You are right - we got a HUGE spike in traffic as a result of this. My intention for EACH auction is to have a newsworthy item. Next auction, I have another item in store for everyone, that while NOT a "Third Reich" item, has such bizarre cultural significance, that it will be quite appealing to news agencies around the world.

[Ron Weinand]

Interesting. Unless the mother's painting is out of Indiana from the late 1980s, there were more than one. I was in the attic of a veteran US Army Col. who had this painting in the original frame that he took out of Berlin in May of 1945. There was no doubt in my mind that it was an original! I tried to buy it at the time, but it was not forsale. The size appears to have been approximately the same as the one shown and the style of the photo (from the small original broach photo/painting that came from Hitler's estate and secretary) was the same.
So, IMO, there were more than one of these paintings, or someone has recently copied the famous original painting.

[Craig Gottlieb]

Ron: without doing an analysis using the Library of Congress archive photos, you can't logically assert that the image you saw "was the original." And I know you didn't perform the analysis, because in the 1980s, you'd have had to go to the Library of Congress, take photos of the images, and then perform the analysis - we didn't have the luxury and convenience of the internet, which we are fortunate to have today. Sure, you can say that it was a period copy, but unless you performed the analysis we performed, you can't speak to the chronological primacy of the painting you saw. While there may have been copies, these are the signed originals. They were removed from the Berghof, which is where they are photographed hanging, and have been matched brush-stroke to brush-stroke, with the images in the Library of Congress. So although I don't doubt at all that there may have existed period copies (why wouldn't there be), these are not them. To use an analogy, there are plenty of old copies of the famous Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington, there is only one original, and even the old copies from the period, did not bear the artist's signature, and certainly were not meant as forgeries, and so did not match brush-stroke-for-brush stroke. Without the Library of Congress images, it would be tough to verify these as the originals. Easy to say they are period, but hard to say "originals." However, thanks to an accident of history, the LOC book is preserved. And, oh yeah, to be sure that the chain of custody was preserved, and that this story was not a story, but actual provenance, we have filmed our first visit to the family's home from whence these paintings came.

[Ron Weinand]

Craig, the one I saw as not a copy. It, too, was artist signed and an original. Evidently, Hitler had more than one painted IMO.

[Ron Weinand]

Craig, I am not saying that yours were not as described, but that more than one PERIOD artist painted this painting. ALL of them were copies of the original broach painting that came from Hitler's estate and his mother.

[Craig Gottlieb]

Ron, I can agree that this painting was painted from the broach, which is pictured (compliments of Wolfe Hardin) in my auction listing. However, it should be acknowledged that these were the paintings that a) hung in the Berghof, and b) made it into Hitler's catalog of personal art, and c) were used for post-cards and other mediums throughout the period. For these reasons, their value as the important portraits (thanks to the LOC catalog) cannot be overstated. You can call copies of the Gilbert Stuart Washington painting "original paintings" but they do not command the same place in history. We will be revealing information about the artist, his place in Hitler's early life in Munich, and other details in the coming weeks.

[A.Doyle]

To all members:
This is the second time I post this!
My post was deleted without any reason, I would like to know from moderators why, since I did not violate anything!
Aylson Doyle.

[Jon Fish]

being a jew, dealing in TR items, symbols of your deadly enemy.

You have crossed the line buddy , what the hell has Craigs religion got to do with these paintings. Stop ruining the thread.

[Jon Fish]

sorry double post

[Erich B.]

I would disagree with this-- it would be like trying to cut a die by hand for a coin and have it be precisely identical to the original. Brushstroke matching brushstroke; impasto thickness, height, width matched; surface texture before the paint is applied identical; etc.
Erich

I think given the black and white pictures, these could have been copied perfectly in colour. This has been the provident of copiers of fine picture in the UK. Brush marks down to paint drops are the speciality of these masters. The art market is full of this, some are from Victorian times, others fron the 1600. So not a new science.

The devistation and finnal destruction of the site tells all.

[A.Doyle]

being a jew, dealing in TR items, symbols of your deadly enemy.

You have crossed the line buddy , what the hell has Craigs religion got to do with these paintings. Stop ruining the thread.

I meant no disrespect at all! I do not like Socialism or Comunism and I prefer not even see such symbols although I respect people collecting them or in favor of their ideology. But why do I think you already knew that?
Aylson Doyle.