THIRD REICH GERMAN TAPESTRY...AND A "DIRTY DOZEN" FILM PROP! - Current Bid: $9,500.00

THIRD REICH GERMAN TAPESTRY...AND A "DIRTY DOZEN" FILM PROP!
A genuine Third Reich Munich Gobelin tapestry, a stunning 12' x 10' presentation which attempts to tie the Third Reich visually to the Carolingian Empire. Against a background of medieval-style shields and regions of the Holy Roman Empire, a crowned double-headed eagle acts as a transition to the Hohenzollern Eagle, which in turn leads to a larger and more dominant Third Reich eagle and swastika. The various areas of the old Holy Roman Empire are identified, with a total of twelve colorful embroidered shields includes the arms of "Ober Oestreich", "Schlesien", "Maehren", "Anhalt", Pfalz Sachsen", "Ostfriesland", "Tyrol", "Brandenburg", "Franken", "Boehmen", "Deutschordensland", and "Nieder Oestreich". Other areas are named as well. All three "Reich" eagles are embroidered in hues of silver, gray and in black, accentuated with the addition of other colors emphasizing crowns, sword, orb and oak leaves. The background consists of more subdued shades of brown, beige, and gold. The lower right hand corner exhibits the "MG" logo of the Munich Gobelin weavers. The top reverse has nine of the original rings that were used for suspending this massive tapestry. There are two several inch square areas along the top border that show a slight separation of the weave, and other areas of the tapestry do exhibit expected age and wear, but they remain largely unnoticeable. This same tapestry appears in the 1967 film "The Dirty Dozen", in the chateau lobby scene as Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson walk about in German uniform: it is partially visible suspended above their heads. It was originally owned by Tony Oliver and used as a prop by his company, TLO productions, and masking tape bearing his name remains on the verso of the piece. It was bought directly from Oliver by our consignor's father approx. forty years ago and family history indicates the tapestry was a personal possession of Adolf Hitler. Although that cannot be clearly substantiated, several factors point to this piece having been commissioned by someone at the highest level: it was a piece costing a very substantial sum, it represented the hoped-for "thousand-year Reich", displays every region of Germany, and its large size calls for display in a public forum. Important and impressive.