Description:

ADOLF HITLER WATERCOLOR PAINTING
GIVEN TO THE CARETAKER OF THE BERGHOF AS A WEDDING PRESENT An extraordinary original Adolf Hitler watercolor painting with unique provenance, obtained from Herbert Dohring who was a member of Hitler's personal bodyguard and later served as a supervisor of the construction of the Berghof and as caretaker of the complex. The painting, 6" x 10 1/2" on paper, is titled and signed in pencil at lower left: "A. Hitler '09 Wien I Stallburggasse". St. Michael's Church is visible in the background, in this Vienna neighborhood between the Stallburg and the Koniginkloster. Hitler drew some of the elements, mainly architectural lines, in pencil, and used earth tone washes for coloration with black lines to accentuate details. As is almost always the case with Hitler's works, his perspective is not accurate with buildings not bearing the correct scale and angles for their location. Particularly telling are his renditions of the human form -- faces are never shown, torso and limb lengths are incorrect, and the perspective employed in the placement of the figures is incorrect. It was these deficiences which caused Hitler to be rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. The painting is double-matted in gray and white, all set into a ca. 1945 mat. The back of the frame has never been opened. Very fine. HERBERT DOHRING (1913-2001) served with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler as part of its 30-man personal protection command tasked with up-close protection of Hitler. Döhring then took over supervision of the Berghof, working first in the original Wachenfeld structure before assuming full caretaking responsibility. While there, Dohring met his future wife Anna Krautenbacher, a staff member, and he married her with a reception at the Berghof with Hitler in attendance. Provenance present with the painting includes: a signed typed statement by Dohring, Hersbruck, Aug. 12, 1999 in which he states (in German): "...I attest to the authenticity of the watercolor 'Stallburggasse' by Adolf Hitler, signed and dated '09'. The painting was a present from chambermaid Lina Dannat to my wife...She presented this picture to my wife in 1942 at the time of our departure from the Berghof. I don't know under which circumstances Ms. Dannat received possession. It is well known that many of these watercolors were stored in the gifts room on the second floor as well as in the large closet in the 'Great Hall'...We hid the picture during the war years and had it framed in the years after the war. It was until today in my personal possession. " Also included is an A.N.S. by Dohring, Hersbruck, Aug. 14, 1999 sending two photos of the painting which he has signed (photos also present) and mentioning that the aforementioned Ms. Dannat has died the previous January. There are also copies of original photos of Dohring, his wife and Hitler at their wedding, Dohring at the Berghof in 1941, and the man in 1999. Finally, there is a copy of Dohring's modern signed identity card and a notary's attestation of his signature. Our consignor has added a copy of Dohring's memoirs (in German): "Hitler's Hausverwalter" (Bochum: Zeit Reisen Verlag), 2013. 94pp. 8vo., Dohring's account of his service as caretaker of the Berghof, with photographs of the author, Hitler, guests, etc. Dohring's friend Ms. Dannat may have been gifted the painting by Hitler, or she may have pilfered it. This may explain why Dohring chose to hide the painting until after the war ended! In any event, this painting is, in our experience, nearly identical in regards to subject, size, composition, technique, and perspective as almost every other authentic Hitler painting offered by us and other experienced auctioneers of Hitler's works. Its provenance is excellent, and having sold many Hitler watercolors over the past thirty years, we are completely confident in the authenticity of this example.

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August 24, 2016 10:30 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000