UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories Imperial German Uniforms, Orders, and Decorations Imperial Allach ...

Found one last item I'd like to share with you all ...

This is a small Nymphenburg Schopfhenne, or tufted-hen, first sculpted by August Göhring in 1926. Great, little bird!

W~

HI Bill and fellow enthusiasts. I have not added anything to the collection as I am working abroad and will be until next July, so pennies will be saved and stored for a couple of good buys next summer, so please leave some things in the shop for me!
NOt sure if I've posted this guy before, so apologies if I have, but he is so delicate and some may not have seen him.

Tristan,

Good to hear from you, hope things are good for you and the new
position?

I'm certain there will be some goodies left in the shop for you by next summer, I'm sure you're looking forward to that, too ...

In the meantime, please visit with us whenever you get some free-time, your input is always appreciated. Thanks for posting that lovely doe, no doubt a Kärner piece? His fine work on hooved animal legs is quite distinctive.

All the best!

Bill

Thanks, Bill...will do

I've seen some rubbish advertised as Allach, but surley this takes the biscuit!!
http://cgi.ebay.de/WWII-orig-German-Alla...=item1e5f7d12f6

T.,

Christ on a rickety crutch, it doesn't just take the biscuit, it takes the whole damn bakery! What a terrible piece of garbage this is, in fact so bad it deserves preserving here for posterity, that way we can remember it and have a good laugh now and then.

I hope none of our members are naive enough to get burned by a lump of poop like this? ... although, you could probably grow a nice Chia plant in it, no?

This gentleman most obviously never even peeked into a reference book and believes his own fairy-tale, or is hoping to prey on someone slightly duller than he is? If it's someone's idea of a good joke, well then, that it certainly is, ha! ... but at a starting price of $460 plus shipping, that's becoming serious and not so funny anymore... plain and simple, getting ripped off blows.

I know for certain the fellows who regularly follow this thread are pretty well-seasoned veterans, junk like this is laughable, but some poor sap might just eventually buy it?
Wasn't this thing or something just like it up for sale or auction before? Well anyway, I still think it's much better only as a joke ...

Best!

/W

here's the guy's spiel, heh ...

US$460

This item is WWII original German White Allach porcelain CAR FIGURE. Marking: T.Karner, Allach. The condition of the item is perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good grief, that car pot really is a piece of garbage, isn't it?

Anyhow, here's my two large-scale Hertwig pieces. Each measures 15" long at the base, and 10" to 10.5" tall. They're circa 1940's, Germany.





One of these days I hope to stumble across one of Hertwig's Third Reich equestrian pieces! *crosses fingers*

T.

T,

A delight to see your equine figures, especially after that miserable little 'Klimperkasten' of a vehicle, heh...

My personal favorite is/are the first pair. Just a great anatomical pose - the decoration, shading and markings on the animals is exceptional. What a nice find.

I'm hoping that some of our viewers will see that there are so many other excellent, non-Allach, German porcelain manufacturers and subjects from which to choose. Naturally, the Allach pieces are much closer related to our imperial and TR military collections, but many of us can't afford to splurge on these high-end, cultural artworks. If you can, by all means add one or two pieces of Allach to your collections, you won't regret it I assure you ... however, if that's not in the financial forecast, do check out some of the other famous old porcelain houses if you're considering adding one or two good accent pieces to your collection.

Most of these other firms were in existence long before Allach was even dreamt of - these companies were Allach's roots, deeply fastened in German culture and history. Tiberius' splendid Hertwig horse sculptures drive this point home, as well as many of the porcelains throughout this thread. Exceptional quality at fair, more reasonable prices. Who can argue with that..?

If a good piece of WWI or WWII German/Austrian sculpture sounds interesting, try a google/eBay search for some of these establishments: Rosenthal, Nymphenburg, Schaubach, Heubach, Hertwig, Wallendorf, Hutschenreuther, KPM, Schwarzburger or Augarten. At times some really amazing things show up, with a little persistance and luck you might just find something extraordinary at a very fair price.

Good hunting and collecting to all.

Best!

Bill

Thanks, Bill, for your kind words! I am glad to hear that you like the Hertwig horses.

I am definitely amongst that group that can't justify the purchase of an Allach at this time of my life, but I do hope to in the future when things are more settled.

I agree with you completely that it is very much worth investigating German firms other than top tier firms like Allach, Meissen, and Nymphenburg. Rosenthal and Hutschenreuther are two of my favorites and, as you said, have employed some of the best sculptors over the years.

Regards,
T.

Just arrived yesterday, sculpted by Fritz Diller, I'd been looking for a boar for quite sometime, this one hits all the right buttons for me. Proportionally it's just about right, 10" long and 6" high, the detail to the face and fur are stunning, I hope you guys like him as much as I do.

Gary

Gary,

This has to be one of the finest Wildschwein/Keiler sculptures that I've ever seen, a first-rate addition to your hunting and forestry collection. The only other bronze boar figure that even comes close is the impressive, oversized monster that sits outside the Jagdmuseum in Munich.

How're you going to top this..? ...though, if anyone can do that, it's certainly you.

Best!

BF~

Gary, that is a wicked awesome boar. Such detail and expression! Absolutely top notch. Wow.

*scrutinizes* Hey, is that the Karner bronze horse head plaque that Kris had on his website not too long ago? If so? Niiiiiice.

T.

Tiberius

It is a Kärner horses head but not the one from Kris, I found mine a few months ago in Germany.

Bill

There's still so much to find out there, there seems to be some really nice bronzes and the odd piece of Allach as well, just gotta keep looking.

Gary

Beautiful piaque. Karner really did have an uncommon ability to combine realism with expressivity in his pieces - particularly the equine works. Thanks for posting that pic!

T.

I wish I had more to add, last one for me for a while, Allach rabbit just in a couple days ago.

Gary

Gary,

Great rabbit, gotta love that little snoot. I can just imagine him/her wiggling that sniffer up and down, nice.

I sent a photo of your super bronze boar to my good buddy Theo in Germany. He just got back from pig hunting with his brothers, and altogether they bagged seven. He liked the bronze very much but assured me that Wildschweine go much better with a rich, brown gravy and dumplings ... heh..

Best!

W~

Bill



That's just how I like them with lots of dumplings and loads of gravy.

Got these in a few weeks ago.

Gary

G,

A nice series of Kärner animal plates, good score. The old boy could paint as well as he sculpted, remarkable.

Here's something I picked up as a Christmas gift for a good friend. I know he won't see it here so I thought I'd share ... a Prussian, 6th Infantry Regiment officer/drummer, or King's regiment, 'die Lange Kerls.'

Regiment's History

The Regiment was founded with a strength of two battalions in 1675 as “Regiment Kurprinz” under the command of Prince Frederick of Brandenburg, the later King Frederick I of Prussia. In 1688 the later King Frederick William I of Prussia became the nominal Commander of the Regiment by his birth as his father expected him to play with his own regiment and receive some military training. After Fredrick William I ascended to the throne in 1713 he proceeded to decrease expenses of the court and strengthen his military. He let Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau improve the drill and weapons of his army and hired 40,000 foreign mercenaries. He believed in harsh discipline.

He had already begun to recruit taller soldiers for it. The official name of the regiment was the 'Grand Grenadiers of Potsdam' or 'Potsdam Grenadiers' for short. However, when the number of tall soldiers increased, the regiment earned its nickname 'Potsdam Giants'. Their uniform was a red hat, blue jacket with gold trim, scarlet trousers, white stockings, and black shoes. Their weapons included muskets, white bandoleers, and daggers. The soldiers wore a hat without a brim in order to be able to throw their heavy grenades with ease.

The original required height was 6 Prussian Foot (about 6'2" or 1.88 meters)[1], well above average then and now. One of the tallest soldiers, the Irish James Kirkland, was reportedly 2.17 meters (about 7 feet)[2] in height. Another member of the regiment was Daniel Cajanus. The king — who was about 1.6 meters himself[3] — needed several hundred more recruits each year. He tried to obtain them by any means, and once confided to the French ambassador that "The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers--they are my weakness." He gave bonuses to fathers of tall sons and landowners who gave up their tallest farm workers to join the regiment. He recruited tall soldiers from the armies of other European countries. Foreign rulers like the Emperor of Austria, Russian Tsar Peter the Great and even the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire sent tall soldiers to him in order to encourage friendly relations. Several soldiers were given by Tsar Peter I as a gift in return for the famous Amber Room [4].

If the man was not interested in joining the regiment, the king resorted to forced recruitment and kidnapping — his agents kidnapped tall priests, monks, innkeepers, etc., from all over Europe. Once they even tried to abduct an Austrian diplomat. He even forced tall women to marry tall soldiers so they could breed more tall boys. If some regimental commander failed to inform the king of a potential tall recruit under his own command, he faced royal displeasure.

Pay was high but not all giants were content, especially if they were forcibly recruited, they attempted desertion or suicide.

The king never risked the regiment in battle as he never waged war. Some sources state that there was a military reason to create a regiment of "Long Guys" because loading a muzzleloader is easier to handle for a taller soldier. [5] Another source states that many of the men were unfit for combat due to their gigantism. [6]

The king trained and drilled his own regiment every day. He liked to paint their portraits from memory. He tried to show them to foreign visitors and dignitaries to impress them. At times he would try to cheer himself up by ordering them to march before him, even if he was in his sickbed. This procession, which included the entire regiment, was led by their mascot, a bear.

When the king died in 1740 the regiment had a strength of 3,200 men, but his successor Frederick the Great did not share his father's sentiments about the regiment, which seemed to him an unnecessary expense. The regiment was largely disbanded and most of its soldiers were integrated into other units of the Prussian Army. The regiment itself was downgraded to a battalion (Garde - Grenadier No 6) and employed during the War of the Austrian Succession at Hohenfriedberg in 1745 and at Rossbach, Leuthen, Hochkirch, Liegnitz and Torgau throughout the Seven Years War. The battalion surrendered near Erfurt and Prenzlau after the Prussian defeat at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 and was disbanded.

An interesting history to say the least.

The sculpture was originally produced by Rosenthal in 1934 and this example bears the '34-35 company mark, most likely from the initial run.

Best!

Bill

Bill....your knowledge, and generosity, never cease to amaze me!

Bill, that is some fascinating history! The piece itself is wonderful - great details. I am sure your friend will be very pleased with it.

Thanks for sharing!

T.

Gee, Bill, can I be your friend, too?

You are an amazing asset to this community and to this forum. Sharing your knowledge and your fantastic collection helps us all become better collectors and understand the whats and the whys of this hobby.

Vielen Dank, mein Freund,

John

Fellas,

Thanks for your unwaivering support building this thread, it's been a lot of fun and we do get to see some great pieces on a semi-regular basis ... you guys are a great source of inspiration.

Johnnie Z,

I thought we already were budz ..??

Best!

Bill

Willie:

Budz, yes, but where not on the Christmas gift list I see.

Maybe on the 'B' list?

John

New arrival! Very flexible white horse foal. Ca. 1960's, sculpted by Gerhard Bochmann, who also worked for Goebel. Marked Alka Kunst, Bavaria. Alka is the shortened form of Alboth & Kaiser, which was the precusor to the Kaiser Porcelain company still in operation today.

T.

T,

I like Bochmann's work too, he did some fine animal sculpting,
his gazelles are top-notch.

This great little colt will fit nicely into your corral!

I've always enjoyed the subject of young animals, it's nice to see the spindly/wobbly look of the legs - Münch-Khe's young fawns are another fine example of this 'balancing-act...'

It'd probably be a bitch figuring out how to get it to stand straight and properly fixed without falling over. The four small 'touch-points' of the hooves just aren't very big.

Best!

B~

Here's one of Münch-Khe's young fawn's, the similarities are most profound.

Gary

Thanks, Bill!

I agree, Bochmann did some really fine work. He sculpted that little Kaiser kicking donkey that I have. However, I think my favorite piece he sculpted that I own is the Goebel British Royal Life Guard:



Young animals are fun, but as you said, rather delicate and breakage prone with those twiggy legs of theirs! I have other foals I may share in the future.

Baz, that fawn is great and yes, the resemblance is uncanny.

T.

T,

Nice clean lines to your Bochmann horseman, the proportions are just right. I like the fact that you've chosen to specialize in horses and equine themes, that should keep you busy for many years to come. Have you ever seen Max Esser's Pegasus figure? For me it's as impressive as Kärner's larger horse sculptures, though, in a much different Art Deco style.

Speaking of Esser ... lots of unique and distinctive animals by this artist, mainly from the years 1910 - 1945. He's slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite German Tierbildhauer, (animal-picture hewers) and stands among the true 20th century greats. He also produced some exemplary bronzes for the brownshirts during their brief stay in power. One that immediately comes to mind is a large sculpture of three eagles joined together over a world globe. I believe it was some kind of presentation for the NSFK..? Whatever the case, a thing of beauty.

Not quite as impressive as three eagles in flight is this 6-inch tall owl (Eule or Uhu) that he did for Meissen in the mid-twenties. A bit odd-looking, yes, no doubt. However, if you're familiar with some of these birds I think he's captured their unusual qualities very nicely. Glad to add this one to the aviary ...

Best!

B~

Bill,

I've always thought horses were the most magnificents creatures even when I was a kid, and you're right - there really is no shortage of sculptors who have created amazing works featuring horses.

Speaking of, I was finally able to get my hands on a Rosenthal 774 horse by Karner at a good price:



One of his most elegant equines, I think.

I have not seen the Pegasus you're speaking of. However, I really would like to add a Rosenthal Heidenreich Pegasus to my collection someday. They're just hard to come by.

Very sweet little owl, Bill. It reminds me of that one movie that came out recently; 3d animated film featuring warrior owls. Germany's really is awash with excellent animalier artists. It's always interesting to learn about a new one. Thanks for sharing!

Regards,
T.

The quality of all these items looks outstanding as well as the picture quality!
I thought I would have a barren year,as I'm working abroad, but I saw this guy on ebay and had been searching for such an example (at a reasonable price) for two years! A quick em to my helpful neighbour and he looked out for the parcel (eventually making it through all the snow!).
His photo is not the best, but, Hey, he helped make it possible for me to add this coloured Fawn to the colection (other photo to see why I wanted him!)

T,

I'm glad to see you found the Kärner beauty at a fair price, this particular model can be priced all over the place and many of the prices can be absurdly high. It's definitely a good one to have in any animal collection and especially if you specialize in horses. I hope you'll be lucky in the upcoming New Year, maybe you'll find that Pegasus model?

I'm way behind on my animated films right now - I need to see, "Despicable Me," and the little guy with the big head, forget the name of that one..? I'll try to check out the one about the owls, too. I also have to find the mate to the owl above, there's a second model in a different, stooping pose.

Tristan,

Good to hear you've been lucky too, that Bambi will be right at home in your vitrine. It'd be nice if you could score a couple more good Allach pieces before you have to go home. Maybe you could also find a new display cabinet whilst you're there? ... cause you're gonna need one real soon! heh..

I wish all of you guys a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year in 2011 ...

Best!

Bill

Thanks, Bill....A Merry Christmas to all fellow porcelain collectors (sorry, this has to be last year's card!).

Tristan,

Still works for me ...

B~

Great display Tristan.
The burning candles take these beautiful items to whole nother level.Very impressive IMO.

Great deer, Tristan! Love the holiday display, too. Very jealous of your Allach horse lurking back there.

Bill, finding that Pegasus would be amazing. The owl movie is called 'Legend of the Guardians', might not be in theatres anymore but could still be at a bargain cinema. The animation is really incredible - check out the trailers on youtube.

Regards,
T.

Very nice display. Thank you

Gentlemen,

As another year is getting ready to flit by I'd like to take time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, bountiful year in 2011. May all your collecting dreams become realities ...

I'll leave you with this nice colorful Pirol, or European oriole by our old buddy, Theodor Kärner. It looks as though he's getting ready to flit away too, heh ..

Hope to see you all in the New Year.

Best!

Bill

Bill, I saw one just like that under my bird feeder this morning. I or the cat could not catch it, so will just wait on yours to arrive. BEAUTIFUL piece, especially that i like birds. Merry Christmas to you and family and all the other collectors out there.

Bill, That's a nice birdie and always a joy to see! Thank you!


Merry Christmas and I hope that everyones wishes come true!

Merry Christmas.
That bird is about as realistic as I think you could get in porcelain.Thanks for another year of viewing these amazing works of art.

This thread has been a joy to view. I hope it continues to flourish and I wish all contributors well and good collecting.

--dj--Joe USMC.