Lot 720

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Description:

WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY ADOLF HITLER
Original watercolor painting on heavy rag paper, 11" x 15 3/4", executed by future dictator ADOLF HITLER (1889-1945). The work depicts a street scene, almost certainly in Vienna, with a shop and tower visible at left, and with Hitler''s typical awkward and stilted human figures filling the street in the foreground. Hitler executed the underlying sketch in pencil, adding color washes of earth tones and muted blues, without the ink detail lines sometimes seen in his work. The buildings are awkwardly disproportionate, the composition is bland, and the faces of the human figures are deliberately muddled, all deficiencies which caused Hitler to be rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. The signature "A. Hitler ''09" appears very faintly at lower left, and is very difficult to discern without the aid of a blacklight. The painting is set on a taupe backing within a period black wood frame, likely the original or at least contemporary to Hitler''s lifetime. The painting was one of several given as a gift by Hitler to piano manufacturer Edwin Bechstein and his wife Helene, who were early and ardent admirers of Hitler and granted him many financial donations and gifts, including a Mercedes touring car. Present with the painting is a typed D.S. in German, 2pp. 4to., Ainring, Oct. 6, 1998, by Rudolf Pfeiffer-Bechstein, who married Edwin and Helene''s daughter Charlotte in 1967. In part: "... The Bechstein family was one of Hitler''s early financial supporters. Out of gratitude Hitler often gave them paintings and watercolors he had drawn during his time in Vienna. Back in those days, Hitler didn''t have much money, this was his way of saying thank you. After my mother-in-law had passed away, my wife Charlotte Bechstein inherited her remission. The Bechstein family owned several of Hitler''s paintings, the sale is for financial reasons. On the back of the painting [frame] at lower right my personal gold colored label is attached. I am giving this information to the best of my knowledge..." An English translation of this statement is also present, and Pfeiffer-Bechstein''s address label has indeed been affixed to the lower right corner of the reverse of the frame. Also present with the painting are: Photocopies of Rudolf Pfeiffer-Bechstein''s passport information, for verification purposes; several modern prints of photographs showing Hitler with the Bechstains and with his Mercedes touring car, all captioned; and additional biographical information on the Bechsteins and the piano company which bears their name. The painting itself shows one or two spots of soiling, else very good.

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April 17, 2018 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