Hanns Anker, Der Morgen

Description

‘Der Morgen’ (‘The Morning’)
Bronze, created 1941/42.
The plaster cast of ‘Der Morgen’ was displayed at the ‘Herbst-Ausstellung – Preussische Akademie der Künste’, Berlin, Oktober -December 1941.
No other cast is known to exist.

Likely a single unique cast, with the core still inside (X-ray photos in process).

Direct Lost-Wax Casting – the Single Unique Cast
In the direct lost-wax casting process (also named ‘cire perdue’), the sculptor begins by building a roughly modelled clay-core over a metal armature. The clay-core is baked to harden it and drive off moisture, and then a relatively thin layer of wax is applied that receives the detailing of anatomy, texture, facial features and signature. A mold is formed around the wax-model, when the mold is heated the wax melts and creates a space into which molten bronze is poured. Once the bronze is cast, the clay-core and armature can be removed to lessen the weight of the finished sculpture. Occasionally the core and armature rods are -in whole or in part- left inside the bronze. On sculptures meant to be placed outdoors, the clay-core and iron-armature are generally removed in order to avoid damage from absorption of water.
The direct lost wax technique allows the artist to cast directly off of the original model, and is ideal for wax models with complex surface textures as well as large and complex compositions. This casting method produces a Single Unique Cast from a Single Model (as opposed to one that is cast from a mold of an existing model). The original master model is lost in the casting process: producing more copies of the master model is impossible.
When X-ray photos show iron armature or internal frame inside the bronze, it is evident that the direct lost wax casting technique was used and that we have to do with the original cast/model.

‘Der Morgen’ by Anker, depicted on a postcard, signed 20 June 1944.

‘Der Morgen’ by Anker, depicted on a postcard, with stamp from the Wehrmacht Base Delmenhorst.

– condition	: II
– size	: height 108 cm (x 27 x 38 cm)
– signed	: signed at base ‘HANNS ANKER’
– type	: bronze

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BIOGRAPHY: HANNS ANKER

Hanns Anker, ‘Die Erwartende’ (‘Expecting’), bronze, 2/3 life-size, displayed at the ‘Zweite Reichsgartenschau 1938’ (‘2. Reichsausstellung des deutschen Gartenbaues’) in Essen, Grugapark.
Depicted in a special by the Essener Algemeine Zeitung (‘Reichsgartenschau, sonderausgabe der Essener Algemeine Zeitung’, Heft 1, May 1938).

Poster calling to donate to the Ludendorff Fund for War Disabled (around 1918).

Left: poster by Hanns Anker, ‘Bolschewismus ist Hunger und Tod, niemals aber Frieden‘ (‘Bolshevism is Hunger and Death, never Piece‘). In the possession of the Imperial War Museum. Also in the possession of the Hoover Institution, Standford, USA, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Issue date unknown.
Right: ‘Gevatter Krieg’ (‘Father War’), war-poem, 1914. Drawing by Hanns Anker.

Hanns Anker: ‘Aus dem Siemens-Schuckert-Werken‘, 1924
Serie of lithographies by Anker, published in Berlin in a small, limited edition of thirty impressions between 1920 & 1930. Some were signed and numbered in pencil by the artist.

Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg, that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert, founded in 1903, specialized in communications engineering, power engineering and pneumatic instrumentation. During World War I Siemens-Schuckert also produced aircraft. In World War II, the company had a factory producing aircraft and other parts at Monowitz near Auschwitz.

‘Der Tägliche Schichtwechsel in den Siemens Betrieben‘ (‘Daily Change of Shift in the Siemens Company‘).

‘Wicklerinnen im Dynamowerk‘ (‘Female Workers in the Dynamo-department‘).

‘Armiermaschine im Kabelwerk‘ (‘Weapon machinerie in the Cable-works‘).

‘Ausschöpfen von Kupfer aus der Raffinierofen‘ (‘Pouring hot liquid copper from bucket into molds’)

Left: ‘In der Messingschmelze‘ (‘In the Brass Melting Furnace‘), date unknown.
Right: Hanns Anker, one of the 13 lithographies from the serie: ‘25 Jahre Braunkohlen- und Briket-Industrie Actiengesellschaft (BUBIAG) Berlin‘, 1925. Size 35 x 49 cm. Signed and numbered.

Left: Hanns Anker, ‘Kokillenguss‘ (‘Gravity die casting’, -one of the oldest methods for metal casting), lithography, 1925.
Right: Hanns Anker, ‘Kohlebergbau‘ (‘Coal Mining‘), lithography, 27 x 17 cm.

‘Mutter und Kind’ in the Wewelsburg
In 1939 Anker created the stone (Muschelkalk) sculpture ‘Mutter und Kind’ (‘Mother and Child’); the work with an height over 2 meters, was bought for 9.000 Reichsmark by Reichsbauernführer Darré, who gave it to Heinrich Himmler. Himmler destinated the work for the Wewelsburg.
Left: letter of thanks from Heinrich Himmler to Darré (‘Lieber Richard’), dated 20 September 1939, in which Himmler writes that he likes the Anker-sculpture very much (‘sie gefällt mir ausnehmend gut’), and that he will place it in the Wewelsburg (Bundesarchiv Berlin, files BDC-RKK, Hanns Anker).
Right: letter from Richard Walter Darré to Himmler (‘Lieber Heini’), dated 25 January 1939, in which Darré writes that he offers the Hanns Anker-sculpture to Himmler; he enclosed a picture of the work.

Left: Hanns Anker, ‘8. Kreigsanleihe‘, 1918. The 8th War Bond Campaign.
Right: Hanns Anker, ‘6. Kriegsanleihe’, 1917.

Left: Hanns Anker, ‘Arbeit in Stadt und Land! Der eine sät die Saaten und bindet Garben schwer, der andre dreht Granaten und waffnet unser Heer‘ (‘Work in the city, and work in the fields! One is sowing seeds and binding sheaves, the other produces grenades for our army‘). Commissioned by the ‘Militärische Stelle des Auswärtigen Amtes‘, Berlin, 1918. Size 72 x 49 cm.
Right: ’The Cross‘, war poem by Karl Werkmeister, drawing by Hanns Anker. Published 1914/15.

Hanns Anker, ‘Diana‘, lithography. Size 40 x 30 cm. One from a series of 50.

Left: Hanns Anker, ‘Gattin des Künstlers‘ (‘Wife of the Artist‘), displayed at the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung 1905. Described an depicted in ‘Berliner Architekturwelt‘, 1906.
Right: Hanns Anker, ‘Meine Frau’ (‘My Wife’), displayed at the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung 1908; depicted in the exhibition catalogue.

Hanns Anker, ‘Der Kugelstosser‘ (‘Shot-putter‘), 1936. Bronze, height 45 cm. Sold by a German auction house in 2019.

Hanns Anker, ‘Der Morgen‘ (early copy), bronze. Height 39,5 cm. Sold by a British auction house in 2022.

Hanns Anker in his atelier, 1933.

Hanns Anker
Hanns Anker (1873 – 1950), born in Berlin, was a German painter, sculptor, illustrator and printmaker. Anker first studied at the Berlin School for Decorative and Applied Arts and at the Berlin Art Academy. Later he concluded his education under J. P. Laurens at the Academie Julian, in Paris. Anker gained recognition for his original etchings and engravings and for his theoretical writings and illustrations (in collaboration with Julius Klinger and Alphonse Mucha) in the book, ‘Die Grotesklinie und ihre Spiegelvariation im modernen Ornament und in der Dekorationsmalerei’ (‘The Grotesque Line and its Mirror Image Variation in Modern Ornament and in Decorative Painting’), first published in 1900. Anker also gained acclaim for his illustrations in the magazine ‘Die Woche’ and in the book ‘Der Grosse Krieg’ (1915), as well as for his cycle of etchings ‘Simson und Delila’ and ‘Der Kampf um Rom’, 1922, both published by Amsler & Ruthardt. During the 1920’s decade Anker produced a small series of scenes dealing with Berlin’s factories: striking example were the etchings ‘Darstellungen aus Siemens Schuckert Werk, Berlin’, -works of art representing a valuable record of Weimar era Berlin.
Anker took part at exhibitions organized by the ‘Kunstausstellung der Berliner Secession (i.a. 1902/03); he was also represented at the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellungen (i.a. 1905: ‘Gattin des Künstlers‘, or ‘Wife of the Artist‘); and 1908 and 1924).
Hanns Anker displayed his bronze ‘Die Erwartende’ (‘Expecting’, 2/3 life-size) at the ‘Zweite Reichsgartenschau 1938’ (‘2. Reichsausstellung des deutschen Gartenbaues’) in Essen, Grugapark. The work was depicted in a special by the Essener Algemeine Zeitung (‘Reichsgartenschau, sonderausgabe der Essener Algemeine Zeitung’).
In 1939 Anker created the stone (Muschelkalk) sculpture ‘Mutter und Kind’ (‘Mother and Child’); the work with an height over 2 meters, was bought for 9.000 Reichsmark by Reichsbauernführer Darré, who gave it to Heinrich Himmler. Himmler destinated the work for the Wewelsburg. The Bundesarchiv Berlin (files BDC-RKK, Hanns Anker) possesses a letter of thanks from Himmler to Darré, dated 20 September 1939, in which Himmler writes that he likes the Anker-sculpture very much (‘sie gefällt mir ausnehemend gut’), and that he will place it in the Wewelsburg. Anker participated at the exhibition of the Preussische Akademie der Künste in 1941 (a plaster cast of ‘Der Morgen’, depicted on postcards). A year later he participated again at the Frühjahrs-Ausstellung and at the Herbst-Ausstellung of the Preussische Akademie der Künste.
Hanns Anker died in 1950 in Hannover.