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Lot 691: A remarkable diary containing Alfred Schwarzschild (1874-) sketches, letters from famous people of the day c.1935

Est: £150 GBP - £250 GBPSold:
GorringesLewes, United KingdomNovember 29, 2016

Item Overview

Description

A remarkable diary containing Alfred Schwarzschild (1874-) sketches, letters from famous people of the day c.1935 including his depiction of his daughter as an ''aryan'' child, see website for further details.

Artist or Maker

Condition Report

An extraordinary revelation regarding the Nazi Party and the German Jewish artist Alfred Schwarzschild has come to light in an old 1930s scrapbook. In the album is a short, handwritten account by Schwarzschild telling how he fooled the Nazi's by depicting what the perfect Aryan girl should look like when in fact the girl he had drawn was his own daughter, a German Jew. The drawing was distributed in Germany before WW2 as a postcard under the title 'Grup aus München!'

o German Jewish artist Alfred Schwarzschild fooled the Nazi Party
o Schwarzschild's extraordinary revelation comes to light in an old 1930s scrapbook
o Schwarzschild fled Germany in 1936 to escape Nazi persecution
o A Nazi spy reported Schwarzschild to the Nazi authorities who subsequently seized Schwarzschild's bank account

Article by Iain Williams

German artist Alfred M. Schwarzschild was born to Jewish parents on 18 November 1874 in Frankfurt am Main, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. His family was related to the famous physicist and astronomer Karl Schwarzschild. Alfred chose art as a career and would later become associated with the Naturalist (or Realism) art movement, which existed in the late 19th/early 20th century. He married quite late in life (aged 49) and his German wife bore him three children. In the hope of building a better life, the family moved to Munich and resided at Holbeinstrasse and then Mauerkircherstrasse, where Alfred also had his artist studio. In Munich, Schwarzschild was commissioned to draw a typical Aryan girl, which was reproduced as a postcard under the title, Grup aus München! However, what he failed to tell the authorities was exactly who the little girl he had drawn was. This information he revealed later in a scrapbook entry after he fled Germany in 1936.


Grup aus München!
The original pre-war German postcard drawn and signed by Alfred Schwarzschild, depicting a typical Aryan girl, with the artist's revelation of the girl's identity written in ink beneath it.

When the Nazi party began placing restrictions upon the movements of Jews, Schwarzschild found it extremely difficult to sell his work. Living under such extreme conditions became intolerable and in 1936 Schwarzschild fled Germany to avoid Nazi persecution. He arrived in England in the hope of trying to earn a living. In doing so he left his wife and children behind in Munich.
In England Alfred stayed at 'Tuggall' in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, as the houseguest of travel writer Ethel Younghusband. It was inside Ethel's scrapbook that Alfred revealed exactly who the girl on the 'Grup aus München' postcard was:
"This is supposed to be typical of an (Aryan) German of Munich but it is a Jewish (German) portrait painted and the model was my little girl, half Jewish and half Bavarian (Mother) with München on the background. There is a subtle humour on this."
The girl who modeled for Schwarzschild was in fact his daughter, a German Jew.


In the scrapbook is a photograph of the artist Alfred Schwarzschild sketching whilst sitting in Ethel Younghusband's garden at 'Tuggall.'




An original hand-drawn postcard by Schwarzschild depicting 'Tuggall,' the country home of Ethel Younghusband in Beaconsfield where Alfred stayed as a guest, is also in the scrapbook.

In 1937, fearing for his family's safety, Schwarzschild bravely returned to Munich for a brief visit where he was reunited with his wife and children. He fled Germany for a second time soon after.


A hand-drawn postcard in the scrapbook by Schwarzschild depicting refugees in a boat on the sea insight of land - 1937

Alfred was finally reunited with his wife and children for good when they also fled to England in 1938, thereby escaping the Nazi holocaust. A Nazi spy subsequently reported Schwarzschild to the Nazi authorities and his bank account was seized. Soon after the Nazi Party stripped the account of its money.
Alfred Schwarzschild remained living in the UK until his death on 19 August 1948. His artwork suffered at the hands of the Nazi's where it was discriminated against on the basis that it was sectarian and therefore deemed unworthy. Thankfully, some of his paintings have survived and hang in European and Middle Eastern galleries.


An Alfred Schwarzschild drawing in the diary depicting Odysseus in the ocean reaching for the safety of land.
"Just as Odysseus was happy to come out of the stormy sea to the country of the (Phaeacians), I am happy to have come to England and to your house. Alfred Schwarzschild." 19. 7. 1937

Ethel Younghusband's scrapbook containing three original drawings by Alfred Schwarzschild and his fascinating account of a part of German Jewish history comes up for auction at Gorringe's Auction House in Lewes, East Sussex on 29th November.



Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.

Payment & Shipping

Accepted forms of payment: COD (cash on delivery), Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Auction House will help arrange shipment, subject to the item concerned, at buyer's expense, please contact clientservices@gorringes.co.uk for an approximate quote.

Auction Details

Gorringes Winter Fine Sale

by
Gorringes
November 29, 2016, 10:00 AM GMT

15 North Street, Lewes, SXE, BN7 2PD, UK

Terms

Buyer's Premium

31.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
£0£99£10
£100£199£10
£200£499£20
£500£999£50
£1,000£1,999£100
£2,000£4,999£200
£5,000£9,999£1,000
£10,000+£2,000

CONDITIONS OF SALE

INFORMATION FOR BUYERS
1. Introduction. The following informative notes are intended to assist Buyers, particularly those inexperienced or new to our salerooms. All sales are conducted on our printed Conditions of Sale which are readily available for inspection and normally accompany catalogues. Our staff will be happy to help you if there is anything you do not fully understand.
2. Agency. As auctioneers we usually contract as agents for the seller whose identity, for reasons of confidentiality, is not normally disclosed. Accordingly if you buy your primary contract is with the seller.
3. Estimates. Estimates are designed to help buyers gauge what sort of sum might be involved for the purchase of a particular lot. The lower estimate may represent the reserve price and certainly will not be below it. Estimates do not include the Buyer's Premium or VAT (where chargeable). Estimates are prepared some time before the sale and may be altered by announcement before the sale. They are in no sense definitive.
4. Buyer's Premium. The Conditions of Sale oblige buyers to pay a buyer's premium at 21% plus VAT on the hammer price of each lot purchased plus 5% live bidding premium (total premium 26% plus VAT)
5. VAT. (†) indicates that VAT is payable by the purchaser at the standard rate (presently 20%) on the hammer price as well as being an element in the buyer's premium. This imposition of VAT is likely to be because the seller is registered for VAT within the European Union and is not operating the Dealers Margin Scheme or because VAT is due at 15% on importation into the UK. The double symbol (**) indicates that the lot has been imported from outside the European Union and the present position is that these lots are liable to a reduced rate of VAT (5%) on the gross lot price (i.e. both the hammer price and the buyer's premium). Lots which appear without either of the above symbols indicate that no VAT is payable on the hammer price. This is because such lots are sold using the Auctioneers' Margin Scheme and it should be noted that the VAT included within the Premium is not recoverable as input tax. "Would buyers please notify Gorringes if they are VAT registered upon registration, and provide their valid VAT Registration Number. This information will be added to the customer database. This will enable those buyers to recover the input tax shown on their invoices relating to lots which are daggered or non-EU imported goods".
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7. Electrical goods. These are sold as 'antiques' only and if bought for use must be checked over for compliance with safety regulations by a qualified electrician first.
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10. Commission bidding. If you are unable to attend the sale commission bids may be left with the auctioneers indicating the maximum amount to be bid excluding buyers' premium. They will be executed as cheaply as possible having regard to the reserve (if any) and competing bids. If two buyers submit identical commission bids the auctioneers may prefer the first bid received. Commission bids must be with the auctioneers 24 hours before the date of sale. Please enquire in advance about our arrangements for the leaving of commission bids by telephone, email or FAX. A Commission Bids form is printed in the back of this catalogue.
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14. Artist's Re-Sale Right
From mid February 2006 living artists are entitled to receive a re-sale royalty each time their artwork is bought or sold by an art market professional. This new law has been introduced in the UK following a European directive. Works sold for a sum of 1000 euros (approximately £680) or more will be subject to the following additional charge as per the scale rate shown below. This will be charged to the buyer of any eligible lots and will be based on the hammer price. Lots that may potentially incur this charge will be announced from the rostrum.
Portion of the sale price Royalty Rate
From 0 to 50,000 euro 4%
From 50,000.01 to 200,000 euro 3%
From 200,000.01 to 350,000 euro 1%
From 350,000.01 to 500,000 euro 0.5%
Exceeding 500,000 euro 0.25%

14. Packing and shipping. Postage and packing can be arranged by the Auctioneers and will be charged at cost of postage/delivery plus an additional charge of £10 for the first lot and £2 for each additional lot. Insurance can be arranged subject to the terms of the carriers, however all packing will be at the purchaser's risk. PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT SHIP FURNITURE / LONGCASE CLOCKS / OVERMANTELS AND OTHER LARGE / FRAGILE ITEMS OF CERAMICS THIS FALLS AS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER. SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT RE: SHIPPING PLEASE CONTACT BEFORE BIDDING. Please see our shipping disclaimer below:

GORRINGES SHIPPING POLICY

Whilst Gorringes are happy to pack and arrange postage for most lots purchased it remains the purchasers' responsibility to select the required service and level of insurance.

Parcelforce will not compensate for the loss or damage to any of the following;
Antiques
Items made from precious metal
Watches
Ceramics
Diamonds/precious stones.
Glassware
Jewellery
Stamps
The following shippers/carriers provide a superior insured service; DHL or Alban Shipping (which will incur greater expense).


CONDITION REPORTS

IT IS STRONGLY ADVISED FOR ALL BIDDERS TO REQUEST A CONDITION REPORT PRIOR TO BIDDING, WE MAKE NO GUARANTEES ABOUT CONDITION ON ANY ITEM WITHOUT REFERENCE TO A PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED CONDITION REPORT.

Shipping Terms

Auction House will help arrange shipment, subject to the item concerned, at buyer's expense, please contact clientservices@gorringes.co.uk for an approximate quote.

CONDITION REPORTS

IT IS STRONGLY ADVISED FOR ALL BIDDERS TO REQUEST A CONDITION REPORT PRIOR TO BIDDING, WE MAKE NO GUARANTEES ABOUT CONDITION ON ANY ITEM WITHOUT REFERENCE TO A PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED CONDITION REPORT.