PORTRAIT OF ADOLF HITLER BY KUNZ WEIDLICH
Original life-size portrait, 50" x 31 3/4", a three-quarters length view of German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, well-executed in oil on canvas and showing the dictator in uniform with his arms crossed and his face in profile. The painting is signed at upper right by the artist, KUNZ WEIDLICH (1878-1940), with a date of 1936. The verso of the canvas shows ten patches, repairing damage to the painting including a large tear to the subject's face, possibly done to deface to portrait at the time of its capture. In addition, the obverse of the painting shows a more recent large tear to the left of Hitler's head, partially repaired on the verso with duct tape, and one or two additional small spots of damage. The portrait is unframed, good to very good overall. Prior to the rise of the Third Reich, Kunz Weidlich was a successful maker of clockwork toys for the firm of Bing Spielwarenfabrik, which was put out of business due to its Jewish ownership. Besides portraits of Hitler, Weidlich's extant paintings depict historical and fanciful military scenes and images from folklore. The nature of his association with Hitler outside of his portraiture is unknown.