Lot 113

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Description:


Fascinating group of nine pencil sketches, each 7.25 x 9.75 in., executed by German prisoners held at the Grizedale Hall prisoner of war camp in England at the end of World War II. The sketches included in this collection were executed by two distinct artists, the more well-known being Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager general EUGEN MEINDL (1892-1951), commander of the II. Fallschirmkorps and recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Meindl executes three of the sketches presented here, all depicting a fellow prisoner. One, a chest-up view of his subject with his face embellished with watercolor, bears Meindl's signature in pencil, adding the inscription 'Gen. d[er] Fallsch[irm]. Truppe - Kom. Gen. d. II Fallsch. Korps. zu Erinnerung von [in memory of] P.O.W. Camp 1 [Grizedale Hall], 6. I. 46. [Jan. 6, 1946]'. A second sketch, depicting the same subject seated at a table completing a sketch of his own, is signed with Meindl's initial 'M' in pencil, adding the date '15. 11. 45.' The third sketch is unsigned, but depicts the same subject and is in the same style as Meindl's two signed sketches. The remaining six sketches were executed by Meindl's fellow prisoner, who signs five of the works 'H. Stemmer'. It would appear that Stemmer is the subject of Meindl's three sketches, based on the shared paper and the Meindl's depiction of his subject sketching in one scene. Stemmer's works include two views of Meindl himself, one a chest-up three-fourths view of the general smoking a cigarette, and the other a profile study of his face, including details of his ear. Two further views (one unsigned and possibly executed instead by Meindl) depict Grizedale Hall itself, both showing prisoner huts on the grounds and one also depicting the barbed wire fence surrounding the compound. The final two sketches depict large trees on the grounds, both also including views of the perimeter fence. The sketches show toning from having been matted, some slight foxing, mounting remnants on the verso, and pinholes and paper loss to the corners, nevertheless very good. Eugen Meindl participated in numerous actions throughout the war, including Narvik in Norway and the invasion of Crete, and as part of the defending German forces during Operation Market-Garden. Very little information is available regarding H. Stemmer, other than that he was an NSDAP official in Cologne. He also designed a poster advertising the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, offered elsewhere in this sale. The manor house Grizedale Hall was taken over by the War Office as No. 1 POW Camp (Officers) in 1939, and held such notables as Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, U-boat commanders Otto Kretschmer and Werner Lott, SS General Maximillian von Herff, and Luftwaffe ace Franz von Werra, who escaped from the camp but was recaptured.

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October 28, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, 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