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Herman Göring Christmas Canister
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Magnificent Göring Christmas Canister by the Master Goldsmith Herbert Zeitner (Item THIRD REICH TABLEWARE 1-21; GOR 13-4; SPECIAL OFFERING) |
| DESCRIPTION:In our many years of handling Third Reich personality items, this is in a class all by itself. Not only is it a Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring object, but it was made no less by one of the master jewelers of Germany, Professor Herbert Zeitner. He was Göring’s personal jeweler; although he made numerous items for several high-ranking Third Reich officials. Born in Coburg, Germany, in 1900, he trained at the College of Art in Hanau, then taught at the Academy of Applied Art in Berlin in 1924. He became a professor and was awarded the Ring of Honor of the German Associates of Goldsmiths. After the war, he continued his artwork, which is still admired to this day in museums around the world. In 2010, his works were displayed in two exhibitions. Just a casual perusal of the internet will show you his many works, including those for other Nazi officials. You will definitely see his style reflected on the piece we offer. He made many things for the Reichsmarschall, some of which you can see on our site and which usually don’t last long as you will see by the many “SOLD” tags. He made everything from swords to jewelry to decorative boxes for the Reichsmarschall. This came to us as a consignment item. The background on this is a historical delight in itself. His mother was German and her father was a cavalry officer during WWI, where he served on the Russian Front. After the war he received a degree in finance, which made him a candidate to serve in the Logistical Office of the German Army, with the rank of colonel. He received the piece from a spouse of his friend who was gifted this by the Reichsmarschall. Her husband had been killed in an air raid. The canister’s lid has a slight tilt to one side; however, it is not loose nor does it affect the lifting of the lid, but this occurred they believe from debris in the air raid. His mother later married an American soldier, a company commander of the 82nd Airborne, and her father gave the item to him as Americans were “de-Nazifying” items and they did not want such an important historical item lost. The canister then made its way to America and remained in the family. The canister has “Weihnachten (Christmas) 1937” on the lid and obviously was made to house candy. The consignor states his family kept Christmas candy in it so its original purpose resumed! The signature of the Reichsmarschall is above “Weihnachten 1937.” It sings of being an object the Reichsmarschall, as the Head of the German Hunting Society, would commission. First, there is the wonderfully executed hallmark of the hunting society, the sacred St. Hubertus symbol. This has been the symbol for hunters for hundreds of years. Hubertus, as the legend states, was a poacher, but one day when he fell over a precipice and looked up hanging on for dear life, a white stag appeared with the sign of the brightly shining Cross between the antlers. The stag bent his head down so Hubertus could grab the antlers and was thus saved. The stag imparted to him to stop his poaching, which he did, thereby becoming a Saint for animals. Reichsmarschall Göring was a protector of animals and conservation. He even stopped vivisection of animals in labs. The laws he created are still in use in Germany, today. During the Reich, the Cross was replaced by the Swastika, a much more ancient symbol of life and nature reaching back thousands of years to the Paleolithic, or the Old Stone Age. All in all, I have never seen a better rendering of the symbol as on this piece. The man he gifted it to must have been a hunting colleague. All the animals in Göring’s hunting life are portrayed—the deer, the moose, the buffalo, and my favorite, the boar. The latter shows a male and female as is done with all the animals, but with a sow nursing little ones. To the side of the sow is a little piglet who just can’t seem to get into the nursing going on. All the animals are set with a background of oak trees, the German iconic ancestral tree, and a ground rich in foliage. Oak leaves surround the lower handle. The detail is just amazing of this forest scene! Only a Grand Master could achieve this of which Zeitner truly was. The canister appears to be of gold plate with the lid of gold plate/bronze. The pictures provided don’t really register the rich gold appearance. The canister weighs in at a hefty 4 pounds 9 ounces and is 6 inches in diameter by about 4˝ inches high. The famed “Zeitner Berlin” hallmark is on the bottom side, and again on the lid as “Zeitner” both with the characteristic double marks on the “Z.” This is an extraordinary rare find and as stated has a double value to it having been a gift from the Reichsmarschall and a Zeitner artwork. It had a harrowing time in its survival, but we are fortunate that it was preserved. Surely, it is a piece which will only increase in value. Historically, it is invaluable.
PRICE: $5,000.00* |
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