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Description
‘Der Sieger’ (‘The Victor’)
Bronze, created 1907, height 60 cm.
Cast by ‘H. NOACK FRIEDENAU BERLIN’.
Gold plated bronze ‘Siegeskranz’ (laurel wreath).
First Price of the ‘Sedanwettkämpfen 1907’, awarded by the Duke of Mecklenburg to the best sportsman.
Smaller version of the statue ‘Der Sieger’ by Wandschneider, awarded a Gold Medal at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung’ in 1906 and bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II who donated it to the city of Berlin.
The texts at the base reads:
– W. Wandschneider
– am 1. September 1907
– dem ersten Sieger
– bei dem Sedanwettkämpfen
– Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig
Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig
Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg (1857 – 1920) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who served as the regent of two states of the German Empire. Firstly from 1897 to 1901 he was regent of Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for his nephew Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, and from 1907 to 1913 he was Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick.
The sculptor Constantin Starck, friend of Wandschneider, introduced him in 1899 to Johann Albrecht, who would become an important sponsor of the artist.
‘Sedan-Wettkämpfe’ (‘Sedan Sportcompetitions’)
From 1875 onwards the ‘Sedan Sportcompetitions’ were organised in the city of Brauschweig. The massive competitions were held in honor of the Battle of Sedan (fought from 1 to 2 September 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War; the coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France which marked the end of French hegemony in continental Europe and resulted in the creation of a unified Germany). The celebration of the Battle of Sedan in fact served as a National Day, until the Weimar Republic.
The Sedan Sportcompetions were massive in scale: often more than 20.000 supporters visited the sports festival. The focus of the competition was on the ‘Vierkampf’: High Jump, Long Jump, Stone Put and Running. From 1907 onwards, Patron of the sportcompetition was Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig.
‘Der Sieger’, bronze, life-size. Created in 1906. Awarded a Gold Medal at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung’, 1906. Bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II who donated the sculpture to the city of Berlin. From 1907 to 1942 ‘Der Sieger’ stood at a small island in Tiergarten, Berlin (‘Neue Blumeninsel’, north of der Straße des 17. Juni). In 1942 it was melted down for ammunition. In 2001 the ‘Von-Hinckeldey-Stiftung” commisioned the foundry Lauchhammer to create a new cast after a preserved model in Plau am See. The new ‘Sieger’ is again located on a raft in the Tiergarten.
Left: ’Der Sieger’ by Wandschneider located in Tiergarten, Berlin.
Right: ‘Der Sieger’ by Wandschneider located in Plau am See.
‘Der Sieger’ depicted on a postcard.
| – condition | : II |
| – size | : height 60 cm |
| – signed | : at base ‘W. Wandschneider’ and ‘am 1. September 1907’ |
| – type | : bronze, with gold plated Siegeskranz |
| – misc. | : with foundry mark: ‘GUSS: H. NOACK FRIEDENAU BERLIN’ |
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BIOGRAPHY: WILHELM WANDSCHNEIDER
‘Aphrodite’
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Aphrodite’, 1907. Displayed at the GDK 1940 room 2. Bought by Hitler for 6.600 Reichsmark and destinated for the New Reichs Chancellery or for the Führermuseum in Linz. A second cast of Aphrodite was donated by Hitler in 1942 to the city of Linz and placed in a pillared pavilion in Bauernberg Park, overlooking the city, where the Führer lived between 10 and 18 years old. The bronze was a personal gift from Hitler, who wanted to make the city of Linz (which he considered to be his hometown) the ‘cultural capital’ of the Third Reich. In 2008 the sculpture was put for ten years in the cellar of the Nordico Stadtmuseum of Linz. Since 2018 it is integrated in the permanent exhibition.
Left: ‘Aphrodite’ by Wandschneider, in possession of the Nordico Stadtmuseum.
Right: ‘Aphrodite’ by Wandschneider, located until 2008 in the pillared pavilion in Bauernberg Park, Linz.
Monastery of Hohenfurt (Vyssi Brod), Czech Republic
At the end of WWII, several stolen art collections -and 46 paintings and 30 statues from Hitler’s private contemporary art collection- were hidden by the National Socialists in the Monastery of Hohenfurt (Vyssi Brod), near Linz in the Czech Republic. After the war, valuable art, such as pieces from the Mannheimer- and Rothschild collections, were confiscated by the U.S. Army and taken to the Munich Central Collection Point in an effort to return them to their original owners. Art works then considered as having no value, like contemporary German Nazi-art works, were left behind after the 1945 liberation of Czechoslovakia and ended up scattered across the country.
In 2012 sixteen paintings by German artists -that Adolf Hitler personally purchased during WWII- were found in various Czech institutions. Seven were discovered in the Zákupy Chateau, the site where items from confiscated castles, chateaus and private houses were gathered after the war. Seven other canvases were found at the convent of Premonstratensian Sisters in Doksany, near Prague. Two paintings were found at the Military Institute in Prague and at the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague. All the sixteen paintings are now in the possession of the ‘Czech National Institute for the Protection and Conservation of Monuments and Sites’. They will remain in the Czech Republic.
‘Aphrodite’ by Wilhelm Wandschneider (bought by Hitler at the GDK 1940) was one of the 30 sculptures in the Monastery of Hohenfurt. Later the bronze was placed in the garden of Schlossgarten Hluboká nad Vlavou (German: Frauenberg), Czech Republic. In 2009 Aphodite was -for security reasons- placed in a depot of the castlle.
Left: ‘Aphrodite’ by Wandschneider in 1945, located in Monastry Hohenfurt.
Right: ‘Aphrodite’ by Wandschneider, 2009, Schlossgarten Hluboká nad Vlavou (German: Frauenberg), Czech Republic.
‘Aphrodite’, bust taken by Kaiser Willem II on his flight to The Netherlands
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Aphrodite’. Bronze bust created in 1908, displayed at the ‘Internationalen Kunstausstellung im kgl. Glaspalast zu München’, 1909. Bought by Kaiser Willem II. Height 47 cm. Depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 24. Jahrgang, 1. Band, September- december 1909.
In possession of ‘Museum Huis Doorn’, The Netherlands. Huis Doorn was the residence-in-exile (1920–1941) of Kaiser Willem II following his abdication after WWI. It is a manor house and national museum in the town of Doorn in the Netherlands; the residence is appointed with early 20th century interior. Between September 1919 and February 1922, five trains pulling 59 carriages transported 30.000 objects to The Netherlands from Wilhelm’s palaces in Berlin and Potsdam to furnish Huis Doorn; -including the bronze bust of ‘Aphrodite’.
Left: ‘Aprodite’ by Wandschneider, depicted in ‘Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte’, 24. Jahrgang, 1. Band, September- december 1909.
Right: ‘Aphodite’ by Wandschneider, located in Museum Huis Doorn, The Netherlands, 2020.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Coriolan’, 1904. Located in Plau am See. Originally created for the 1904 St.Louis World’s Fair, where it won a Gold Medal. Also displayed in 1907 at the VII. Internationale Kunstausstellung, Venedig under the name ‘Cariolano’.
Again displayed – the bronze cast of 2 meters high- at the exhibition ‘Hundert Jahre Berliner Kunst’, Verein Berliner Künstler, 1929.
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who is said to have lived in the 5th century BC. He received his toponymic cognomen ‘Coriolanus’ because of his exceptional valor in a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli. He was subsequently exiled from Rome, and led troops of Rome’s enemy the Volsci to besiege Rome. The story is the basis for the tragedy of Coriolanus, written by William Shakespeare, and a number of other works, including Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture.
Left: ‘Coriolan’ located in Plau am See.
Right: ‘Coriolan’ by Wandschneider, depicted in ‘Die Kunst für Alle’, 1907.
1915, German Kaiser inaugurating memorial to fallen French, British and German soldiers (….….)
An inconvenient truth, not mentioned in school and history books.
18 October 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm II inaugurating the memorial to the fallen French, British and German soldiers. The Kaiser himself drew the first sketches of the two Greek warriors; also he contributed a large sum from his private funds for the creation of the monument.
Location: cemetery of St. Quentin, Rue de la Chaussée Romaine (Roman Street). St. Quentin, a city situated at the river Somme in northern France, occupied by German troops from 1914 to 1918. From 1916, it layed at the heart of the war zone, as Germany had integrated it into the Hindenburg Line.
St. Quentin was founded by the Romans, in the Augustean period, to replace the oppidum of Vermand as the capital of Viromandui (Celtic people who occupied the region). It received the name of Augusta Viromanduorum, Augusta of the Viromandui, in honor of the Emperor Augustus.
After 1918, the bodies of fallen French (and British) soldiers were exchanged for German ones who since then rest under French names (….…..).
The sculptures were cast by foundry Lauchhammer (source: catalog of Lauchhammer Kunstguss, 1938).
Photo: collection of Huis Doorn, The Netherlands (home of Kaiser Wilhelm II from 1918 – 1941).
In the middle: Wilhelm Wandschneider, creator of the two roman over life-size sculptures, in conversation with Kaiser Wilhelm II. Date: 18 October 1915.
The memorial in the 2010th.
Memorial of St. Quentin, small bronzes taken by Kaiser Willem II on his flight to The Netherlands
In possession of ‘Museum Huis Doorn’, The Netherlands. Huis Doorn was the residence-in-exile (1920–1941) of Kaiser Willem II following his abdication after WWI. It is a manor house and national museum in the town of Doorn in the Netherlands, the residence is appointed with early 20th century interior. Between September 1919 and February 1922, five trains pulling 59 carriages transported 30.000 objects to The Netherlands from Wilhelm’s palaces in Berlin and Potsdam to furnish Huis Doorn; -including the two small bronzes.
Left: Bronze, created in 1915, height 49 cm. Cast by foundry Lauchhammer.
Right: created in 1915, height 50 cm. Cast by foundry Lauchhammer.
The (smaller) bronzes depicted in the catalog of Lauchhammer Kunstguss, 1938.
The text below explains that the over life-size bronzes of the cemetery of St. Quentin were cast by Lauchhammer.
‘The Naked Truth’, USA. Attacked three times
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘The Naked Truth’ (‘Die Nackte Wahrheit‘), 1914. Located in the city of St. Louis (USA).
The statue was a gift to the city of St. Louis by the German-American Alliance in honor of Carl Schurz, Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer, editors of the German St. Louis newspaper Westliche Post, the premier German newspaper in America in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The three men were part of the wave of immigrants who came to America to escape the consequences of the failed 1848 revolution of the German Confederation. St. Louis was still a small river settlement when they arrived, but the utopians soon got to work. Full of high-flown ideas about the freedom of all people, the right to public assembly, improved living and working conditions and a free press, they opened businesses, built beer empires and fought valiantly in the American Civil War (on the Union side). Schurz, Preetorius and Daenzer all died within months of each other in 1906, and the now prosperous and politically powerful German-American community sought a way to honor the lives and achievements of three of their own. They quickly struck upon the idea of a symbolic memorial, to honour a generation of German immigrants who actually build the city. German-American wealth, power and prestige were behind the work, the artistic symbol of a generation of visionaries who were too bold and too liberal for Germany, but who raised a beautiful, thriving city in America. A city built, populated and run by proud German-Americans, -The Naked Truth was essentially a tribute to themselves.
Controversy erupted over the statue’s nudity before the monument was even built when a jury selected the design of Wilhelm Wandschneider, the only non-local sculptor in the design contest. At the request of Adolphus Busch (founder of the Anheuser-Busch dynasty, who had contributed $20,000 of the $31,000 cost of the monument) the statue was made of bronze instead of white marble to deemphasize the nudity.
The statue was dedicated on May 24, 1914. During the ceremonies, speeches were made in German and English, several Turnverien Societies marched on the park and displayed their banners. Chorus sung ‘America’ and the national anthem of Germany. Less than three years later, the United States entered the Great War and the statue would become controversial again. The St. Louis branch of Woman’s Christian Temperance Union called on the St. Louis Park Commission to melt down the statue and use the bronze for munitions to kill Germans. The organization’s letter, dated June 3, 1918, read in part: ´we most respectfully ask that immediate steps be taken by your department for the removal of this gift from Berlin from its present place of honor, and we further suggest that the bronze be used for munitions purposes.´
It’s not the last time the statue was a target. In 2012, it was tagged by an anarchist group with the words ´Class War´ in blue paint across the figure’s chest. The statue was designated a city landmark in 1969.
‘Cramer Demands City Vote On ‘Naked Truth’, St. Louis Star, Friday, June 6, 1913.
‘Kriemhild and Siegfried’, Dolchstossdenkmal
Left: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Artillerie Denkmal 1914-1918‘, city of Schwerin, Schlossgarten. Memorial of the Feldartillery Regiment Nr. 60, revealed at 27 May 1923. The bronze figur depicts ‘Kriemhild’, a protoganist in ‘The Song of the Nibelungs’ (‘Nibelungenlied’), the epic poem written around 1200 in Germany. In the Nibelungenlied Kriemhield swears with her right hand raised to the sky, that she will avenge the murder of Siegfried. A Stahlhelmet is lying on the ground next to the bronze. Engraved on the base is the text: ‘TREUE DEN TREUEN’. Destructed after WWII.
Right: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Kriegerdenkmal 1914/18 des Mecklenburgischen Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 76‘ (‘Memorial of the Mecklenburg Landwehr Infantery Regiment Nr. 76‘). City of Schwerin, Schlossgarten. Revealed at 26 August 1923. Depicted is ‘Siegfried‘, also a protagonist in the Nibelungenlied, and killed by the spear of Hagen. The spear here is typical stuck into the back of the warrior, and is obviously representing the ‘Dockstosslegende’. During the revelation ceremony in 1923 the SPD, Young Socialist and communists protested and demonstrated against the monument, also named ‘Dolchstossdenkmal’. The communists called for the destruction of the monument. In the night of 23 September 1923 the Dolchstossdenkmal was damaged seriously: the sword and the speer were smashed to pieces.
On 14. April 1949 the monument was definilty demolished, on request of communist Innenminister Hans Warnke.
Hakenkreuzdenkmal, 1920
First swastika depicted on a German memorial.
In 1920 Wandschneider created ‘Sterbende Krieger’ (‘Dying Warrior’), a memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I, located in the city of Malchow.
On the front side of the battered shield of the soldier, Wandschneider depicted a swastika. Wandschneider said he was inspired by the Freikorps Brigade Ehrhard, who had painted swastikas on their helmets (1920).
‘..In dieser Zeit (spring 1920) kamen die Ehrhardt-Brigaden von den letzten Kämpfen aus Riga zurück. Sie hatten ihren Stahlhelm mit dem Hakenkreuz geschmückt. Ich freute mich, denn dieses Zeichen war verboten, und versah den Schild meines verwundeten Kriegers ebenfalls mit diesem Zeichen‘ (‘In these times the Ehrhard-Brigades came back from the last battles in Riga. They had painted a swastika on their helmets. I was enchanted, because this symbol was forbidden, so I painted this swastika also on the shield of Sterbende Krieger’); ‘Mecklenburgische Monatshefte, Band 17, 1941’, pages 126-128.
The bronze figure, cast by foundry Lauchhammer, was melted down in 1945. The base still exists, its located in the park next to the Stadtkirche, city of Malchow: the inscribed texts read: ‘Den in dem Weltkriege 1914 – 1918 gebliebenen Malchowern, den Gefallenen zur Ehrung, den Lebenden zur Mahnung‘. Inscribed were the names of 154 fallen soldiers, including 2 Jewish soldiers.
Left: Wandschneider standing in front of his Hakenkreuzdenkmal (date unknown).
Right: the memorial depicted in ‘Mecklenburgische Monatshefte’, Band 11, 1935.
The Hakenkreuzdenkmal depicted in the ‘Mecklenburgische Monatshefte’, Band 17, 1941.
Picture of the swastika on the front site of the shield (original plastermodel). Wandschneider depicted the swastika in mirror-image.
A historical helmet of the Freikorps Brigade Ehrhard (1920), displayed at the exhibition ‘Nazi Design’, Design Museum Den Bosch, The Netherlands, 8 September 2019 -1 March 2020. This world-wide highly publicized exhibition attracted over 130.000 visitors in six months. The exhibition was covered on the front page of the New York Times and Bild, and i.a. in the Guardian, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Paris Match, Spiegel, Welt, Tagesspiegel, El Pais and all Dutch News papers. On television the exposition was covered i.a. by the ARD, ZDF, DW News, Aljazeera, AFP News Agency, SBS World News, and all mayor television chanels in The Netherlands. Because of the enormous popularity of the exhibition, the museum extended opening hours, opened its doors also on Mondays, and finally it extended the exhibition by 6 weeks.
Below: the helmet (by which wandschneider was inspired) shown on German television during prime time: Tagesschau, 9 September 2019 (Daily News, main edition, the television news service produced by the German public-service television network ARD).
‘Sterbende Krieger’ by Wandschneider, depicted in the catalog of Lauchhammer Bildguss, 1938. Height: 30 cm.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Head of Achilles‘, bronze. Total height 62 cm. Sold in Switserland in 2022. Now in the possession of the ‘Bildhauermuseum Prof. Wandschneider‘, Plau am See, Germany.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Statue of Otto von Bismarck‘, 1901, city of Schwerin. Revealed at 1 April 1901 by Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig. Size 2,6 meter high, excluding sockel of 2,3 meters. Re-located to the Bismarckplatz in 1939. In 1950 the Bismarckplatz was renamed in ‘Platz der Jugend’. Around that time the sculpture was melted down by the communist government, the base of red granit was removed in 1954 and reworked into gravestones.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Statue of Otto von Bismarck’, 1903, city of Dortmund. The statue with its base of grey Kösslinger granit, was removed and hidden in 1942, re-discovered in 1960, and melted down.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Mausoleum in Gutspark, Berlin-Karow‘. The tomb of Lord of the Manor Johannes Schlutius was designed in 1916 by Wandschneider and executed in granit. Currently under restoration.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Der sterbende Gigant Alkyoneus, besiegt von der Göttin Athena‘, 1895. Relief showing the dying Giant Alcyoneus with Athena. Located at the cemetery in Berlin-Heiligensee, it serves as memorial to the victims of WWII. Previously part of the Wiener Brücke over the Landwehrkanal in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The bridge, decorated with four round reliefs by Wilhelm Wandschneider and Adolf Kühne, was blown up by the Wehrmacht at 23/24 April 1945. Two of the reliefs survived and were placed at the graveyard. Executed in red sandstone, diameter 1,8 meters.
Left: the sandstone relief at the cemetry in Berlin-Heiligensee.
Right: the Wiener Brücke before 23/24 April 1945.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Thor, last sculpture he created in his lifetime. Displayed at the GDK 1942 room 20.
Left: Wilhem Wandschneider, ‘Klinke Denkmal’, 1908. Located in Berlin-Spandau.
The memorial refers to the Prussian Soldier Carl Klinke, who played a heroic rol in the Battle of Dybbol (‘Erstürmung der Düppeler Schanzen’). The battle in South Jutland was the key battle of the Second Schleswig War, fought between Denmark and Prussia on 18 April 1864. Denmark suffered a severe defeat which ultimately decided the outcome of the war. Klinke (1840-1864) who is said to have run onto the redoubt carrying explosives and igniting them by the palisades thus killing himself and blowing a hole into the Danish redoubt, was immortalized in a poem written by Theodor Fontane.
Right: the Klinke-memorial by Wandschneider depicted in the ‘Leipziger Illustrirte Zeitung’, 4 Juni 1908.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Centaur at the Brandenburger Tor‘, 1926. In 1913 four German sculptors were asked to renovated several reliefs of the Brandenburger Tor. Wandschneider renovated finally in 1926 the reliefs number 29 and 17, however the renovation of number 17 was in fact a completely new interpretation of a Centaur-fight.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Kniender trauernder Krieger’ (‘Kneeling mourning Warrior’), 1910. Located in the city of Saarlouis.
Memorial to the Infantery Regiment Nr. 30 in Saarlouis, commemorating the German-Franco War fourty years earlier, -also named ‘Dreißiger-Denkmal’
The original model of ‘Kniender trauernder Krieger’ was created by Wandschneider in 1909. Seven identical bronze casts were made for memorials in other cities: for the city of Güstrow in 1910, Koblenz in 1919, Landsberg/ Warthe in 1919, for a graveyard in Lüdenscheid in 1920, Chemnitz 1922, Crivitz in 1922 and for Berlin in 1922.
Left: the revelation of the 1870/71-War Memorial at 2 September 1910 in Güstrow.
Right: the figur of ‘Kniender trauernder Krieger’ by Wandschneider, displayed at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung’, 1912. Plaster.
‘Knieender trauernder Krieger’ by Wandschneider, depicted in the catalog of foundry Lauchhammer Bildguss, 1938.
Left: ‘Kniender trauernder Krieger’, height 1,2 meter.
Right: ‘Knieende weibliche Figur mit Kranz’, height 1,2 meter.
Left: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Mähender‘ (‘Mowing‘), 1935. Located in the Dammstrasse, Plau am See. The text in dialect at the base reads: ‘Hol din Seis scharp, wenn dei Aust kümmt’. In Hochdeutsch: ‘Halte die Sense scharf, wenn die Ernte kommt’. Translated: ‘Keep your Scythe scharp, wenn the Harvest comes‘.
Right: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Der Sähmann‘ (‘The Sower’), 1935. Located in the Dammstrasse, Plau am See. The text in dialect at the base reads: ‘Dörch din Utsaat läwt uns ganzes Volk’. In Hochdeutsch: ‘Durch deine Aussaat lebt unser ganzes Volk’. Translated ‘Our People will Live by your Sowing‘.
Gauleiter Friedrich Hildebrandt bought a second cast of ‘Der Sähmann’ which he placed in front of the Gauschule in the city of Schwerin. The Kreisverwaltung of the NSDAP of the city of Waren bought a third cast.
Left: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Kriegerdenkmal 1914-18 des Grenadierregiment Nr. 89’ (‘WWI Memorial to the Grenadier Regiment Nr. 89’), 1923. Located in Schwerin. Destroyed in 1948.
Right: revelation of the monument in 1923.
Left: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Trauender Soldat’, 1937. Monument of a Mourning Soldier at the Ehrenfriedhof in the city of Schwerin. Revealed at 6 June 1937.
Right: photo of the head of the model in the ateleir of Wandschneider.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Regimentsdenkmal für die getöteten Soldaten des 1. Weltkriegs in Schweidnitz, Schlesien‘ (‘Regiment Memorial to the fallen soldiers in WWI in Schweidnitz, Silesia‘). Revealed at 19 October 1924. Destroyed.
Left: Wandschneider working at the model in his atelier.
Right and below: postcards depicting the memorial.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Denkmal für das Erste Garde-Ulanenregiment‘ (‘Memorial for the First Garde-Ulanenregiment‘). Revealed in 1919, located in Potsdam.
Above: Wandschneider working at the monument in his atelier (at the background, right, a model of Aphrodite).
Below (2x): the memorial located in front of the Kaserne at the Ruinenberg before 1945 (destructed).
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Kriegerdenkmal des Grossherzoglich Mecklenburgischen Füsilier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, Nr. 90‘ (‘Memorial the Grand Ducal Mecklenburg Fusilier Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, Nr. 90‘. Located in Rostock. Revealed in September 1926, destructed after WWII.
A smaller bronze cast by Wandschneider of the original Memorial. Signed and dated 1926. Height 54 cm. Cast by Gladenbeck und Sohn. Sold in 2014 by a German auction house.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Skagerrak-Denkmal‘. Memorial, located between the Park- and Thünenstrasse in Rostock, commemorating the sinking of the Kreuzer ‘Rostock’ at the Battle of Skagerrak in WWI. The memorial was revealed at 28 Juni 1936; the bronze was destroyed after 1945, but the base still exists.
Left: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Lethe’, 1908, marble. Postcard. ‘Lethe’, the personification of forgetfulness and oblivion. Displayed at the ‘Münchener Jahresausstellung 1914 im königlichen Glaspalast’.
In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers of the underworld of Hades. Also known as the Ameles Potamos (river of unmindfulness), the Lethe flowed around the cave of Hypnos and through the Underworld, where all those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness. Lethe was also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river was often identified.
The shades of the dead were required to drink the waters of the Lethe in order to forget their earthly life. In the Aeneid, Virgil writes that it is only when the dead have had their memories erased by the Lethe that they may be reincarnated.
Lethe was also the name of the personification of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river was often associated.
Right: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Jugend’ (‘Youth‘). Marble, displayed at the ‘Münchener Jahresaustellung 1908‘. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Eurydice‘, 1901. Bust of Anna Wandschneider, wife of the artist. Displayed at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung‘, 1906.
Left: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Bust of Charlotte Reimann‘, 1904, postcard. Created in wood. Displayed at the ’Berliner Kunstausstellung‘, 1905.
Right: Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Bust of Charlotte Reimann’. Executed in wood. Displayed at the ‘Münchener Jahres-Ausstellung 1906 im KGL. Glaspalast’. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
Wilhelm Wandschneider, ‘Achilles’, plaster cast. Displayed at the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung 1909. Depicted in the exhibition catalog.
Wilhelm Wandschneider in conversation with Kaiser Wilhelm II, 18 October 1915, Saint-Quentin.
Photo: collection of Huis Doorn, The Netherlands (home of Kaiser Wilhelm II from 1918 – 1941).
Wilhelm Wandschneider
Wilhelm Wandschneider (1866 – 1942), was the son of a commercial decorative painter. At an early age, he began an after-school apprenticeship in the family workshop. In 1885 Wandschneider went to Berlin, to find a job. After securing recommendations from the mayor of his birthtown Plau am See and from the two sculptors Ludwig Brunow and Martin Wolff, Frederick Francis III the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin granted him a personal gift of 150 Marks to study at the Prussian Academy of Art. Wandschneider passed his entrance exam in 1886, and studied with Albert Wolff, Paul Friedrich Meyerheim, Fritz Schaper and Gerhard Janensch. He also gained practical experience working in the studios of Burnow, Martin Wolff, Karl Hilgers, Ernst Herter and Martin Wolff. In 1895, he became a Master Student of Reinhold Begas but didn’t remain long; in the same year he won a prize from the ‘Philip von Rohr Foundation’ (Preussischen Kulturministerium) which enabled him to study in Italy for a year. Four years later Wandschneider was granted a scholarship of 500 Mark by the Egger-Stiftung. In Italy, he met his future wife, Anna Kreß, who was working as a model. Back in Berlin he became a free-lance sculptor and member of the ‘Verein Berliner Künstler’. He participated in several contests for monument and fountain designs; by 1898, he had won three major commissions. In 1899, through his friend the sculptor Constantin Starck, Wandschneider met Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg, who would become an important sponsor of the artist. His career truly took off after that point and the years 1897 to 1916 proved to be his most successful.
In 1901 the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick Francis IV, awarded him the ‘Verdienstmedaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft in Gold’. In the same year Wandschneider created a ‘Statue of Otto von Bismarck‘ in the city of Schwerin; revealed at 1 April 1901 by Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg (Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig); after WWII melted down by the DDR-communist government. Two years later he created a ‘Statue of Otto von Bismarck’ in the city of Dortmund. The statue with its base of grey Kösslinger granit, was removed and hidden in 1942, re-discovered in 1960, and melted down.
In 1904, at the Wold’s Fair in St.Louis his figure ‘Cariolanus’ was awarded a Gold Medal. After St.Louis Wandschneider received an order for a monument to Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly in Riga and -ten years later- an order for a monument in St.Louis that would be dedicated to the German-American journalists Carl Schurz, Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer (the figure ‘The Naked Truth’.). In 1906 Wandschneider was appointed Professor by Frederick Francis IV (Friedrich Franz IV, Grossherzog von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1882-1945).
Also in 1906, Wandschneider created the life-size bronze ‘Der Sieger’ (‘The Victor’); the figure was awarded a Gold Medal at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung’ in the same year. It was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II who donated the sculpture to the city of Berlin. From 1907 to 1942 ‘Der Sieger’ stood at a small island in Tiergarten, Berlin (‘Neue Blumeninsel’, north of der Straße des 17. Juni). In 1942 it was melted down for ammunition. In 2001 the ‘Von-Hinckeldey-Stiftung’ commisioned the foundry Lauchhammer to create a new cast after a preserved model in Plau am See. The new ‘Sieger’ is again located on a raft in the Tiergarten.
In 1907 Wandschneider was represented at the VII. Biennale in Venice (VII. Esposizione Internazionale D’Arte della citta di Venezia) with Cariolano (Cariolan) and Testa di Signorina (Bust of a Woman). Coriolan, bronze, 2 meters high, was placed in Plau am See. Later in 1929 the sculpture was displayed again at the exhibition ‘Hundert Jahre Berliner Kunst’, Verein Berliner Künstler. In 1908 Wandschneider created the bronze bust ‘Aphrodite’, which was displayed a year later at the ‘Internationalen Kunstausstellung im kgl. Glaspalast zu München’; it was bought by Kaiser Willem II, who took the bust after WWI on his flight to The Netherlands; it is now in the possession of ‘Museum Huis Doorn’ in The Netherlands, the residence-in-exile (1920–1941) of the Kaiser.
Kaiser Wilhelm II granted Wandschneider the following high decorations:
– Roten Adlerordnen 4. Klasse, 1907;
– Krone zum Roten Adlerordnen 4. Klasse, 1908;
– Königlichen Kronenorden 3. Klasse.
In 1914 Wandschneider created ‘The Naked Truth’ (‘Die Nackte Wahrheit‘), located in the city of St. Louis (USA).
The Naked Truth
The statue was a gift to the city of St. Louis by the German-American Alliance in honor of Carl Schurz, Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer, editors of the German St. Louis newspaper Westliche Post, the premier German newspaper in America in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The three men were part of the wave of immigrants who came to America to escape the consequences of the failed 1848 revolution of the German Confederation. St. Louis was still a small river settlement when they arrived, but the utopians soon got to work. Full of high-flown ideas about the freedom of all people, the right to public assembly, improved living and working conditions and a free press, they opened businesses, built beer empires and fought valiantly in the American Civil War (on the Union side). Schurz, Preetorius and Daenzer all died within months of each other in 1906, and the now prosperous and politically powerful German-American community sought a way to honor the lives and achievements of three of their own. They quickly struck upon the idea of a symbolic memorial, to honour a generation of German immigrants who actually build the city. German-American wealth, power and prestige were behind the work, the artistic symbol of a generation of visionaries who were too bold and too liberal for Germany, but who raised a beautiful, thriving city in America. A city built, populated and run by proud German-Americans, -The Naked Truth was essentially a tribute to themselves.
Controversy erupted over the statue’s nudity before the monument was even built when a jury selected the design of Wilhelm Wandschneider, the only non-local sculptor in the design contest. At the request of Adolphus Busch (founder of the Anheuser-Busch dynasty, who had contributed $20,000 of the $31,000 cost of the monument) the statue was made of bronze instead of white marble to deemphasize the nudity. The statue was dedicated on May 24, 1914. During the ceremonies, speeches were made in German and English, several Turnverien Societies marched on the park and displayed their banners. Chorus sung ‘America’ and the national anthem of Germany. Less than three years later, the United States entered the Great War and the statue would become controversial again. The St. Louis branch of Woman’s Christian Temperance Union called on the St. Louis Park Commission to melt down the statue and use the bronze for munitions to kill Germans. The organization’s letter, dated June 3, 1918, read in part: ´we most respectfully ask that immediate steps be taken by your department for the removal of this gift from Berlin from its present place of honor, and we further suggest that the bronze be used for munitions purposes.´ It’s not the last time the statue was a target. In 2012, it was tagged by an anarchist group with the words ´Class War´ in blue paint across the figure’s chest. The statue was designated a city landmark in 1969.
In 1915 Wandschneider created two large bronze Roman soldiers for the war cemetery of St. Quentin (at that time occuped by German troops); the memorial to fallen French, British and German soldiers (….….) was inaugurated at 18 October 1915 by the German Kaiser (an inconvenient truth, not mentioned in school and history books). The Kaiser himself drew the first sketches of the two Greek warriors; also he contributed a large sum from his private funds for the creation of the monument. After 1918, the bodies of fallen French (and British) soldiers were exchanged for German ones who since then rest under French names (….…..). Two small copies by Wandschneider of the Roman soldiers were taken by Kaiser Willem II on his flight to The Netherlands (between September 1919 and February 1922, five trains pulling 59 carriages transported 30.000 objects to The Netherlands from Wilhelm’s palaces in Berlin and Potsdam to furnish Huis Doorn; -including the two small bronzes who are now in the possession of ‘Museum Huis Doorn’).
In 1916 Wandschneider created the ‘Mausoleum in Gutspark, Berlin-Karow‘. The tomb of Lord of the Manor Johannes Schlutius was executed in granit. Currently under restoration.
After Germany’s defeat in World War I, many artists entered a period of financial distress as public commissions and private clients were difficult to find. Also in the Weimar Republic Wandschneiders Neo Classical style was, as art style, out of fashion. It did not particular help that, before the war, he had worked for the Kaiser, and his ‘Hakenkreuzdenkmal’ in 1920 definitely caused him problems. In 1920 the Grosser Berliner Kunstausstellung rejected his works, although he had been continuously participating at the exhibitions 20 times since 1893 (in 1906 he even displayed 18 art works). Typical for these turbulent times, Wandschneider was allowed to display a plaster cast of ‘Sterbende Krieger’ in the garden during the Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung 1922.
Hakenkreuzdenkmal, 1920
In 1920 Wandschneider created ‘Sterbende Krieger’ (‘Dying Warrior’), a memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I, located in the city of Malchow. On the front side of the battered shield of the soldier, Wandschneider depicted a swastika. Wandschneider said he was inspired by the Freikorps Brigade Ehrhard -returning from Riga- who had painted swastikas on their helmets (1920). The bronze figure was melted down in 1945; the base still exists.
At times, Wandschneider had to feed his six children at the local soup kitchen. His only work in the early 1920s came from military societies, seeking to memorialize their fallen comrades. Hyperinflation caused that the memorials he created in several months, were paid afterwards with worthless money.
In 1923 Wandschneider created ‘Kriemhild and Siegfried’, the ‘Dolchstossdenkmal‘.
‘Kriemhild and Siegfried’, the ‘Dolchstossdenkmal‘.
In 1923 Wandschneider created the ‘Artillerie Denkmal 1914-1918‘ in the city of Schwerin, Schlossgarten. The Memorial of the Feldartillery Regiment Nr. 60 was revealed at 27 May 1923. The bronze figur depicts ‘Kriemhild’, a protoganist in ‘The Song of the Nibelungs’ (‘Nibelungenlied’), the epic poem written around 1200 in Germany. In the Nibelungenlied Kriemhield swears with her right hand raised to the sky, that she will avenge the murder of Siegfried. A Stahlhelmet is lying on the ground next to the bronze. Engraved on the base is the text: ‘TREUE DEN TREUEN’. It was destructed after WWII.
In the same year he created the ‘Kriegerdenkmal 1914/18 des Mecklenburgischen Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 76‘ (‘Memorial of the Mecklenburg Landwehr Infantery Regiment Nr. 76‘), city of Schwerin, Schlossgarten. Revealed at 26 August 1923. Depicted is ‘Siegfried‘, also a protagonist in the Nibelungenlied, and killed by the spear of Hagen. The spear here is typical stuck into the back of the warrior, and is obviously representing the ‘Dockstosslegende’. During the revelation ceremony in 1923 the SPD, Young Socialist and communists protested and demonstrated against the monument, also named ‘Dolchstossdenkmal’. The communists called for the destruction of the monument. In the night of 23 September 1923 the Dolchstossdenkmal was damaged seriously: the sword and the speer were smashed to pieces. On 14. April 1949 the monument was definilty demolished, on request of DDR-communist Innenminister Hans Warnke.
In 1924 Wandschneider created the ‘Regimentsdenkmal für die getöteten Soldaten des 1. Weltkriegs in Schweidnitz, Schlesien‘ (‘Regiment Memorial to the fallen soldiers in WWI in Schweidnitz, Silesia‘); revealed at 19 October 1924. Destroyed after WWII. In 1925, Wandschneider had to sell his home and studio in Berlin, he returned to his birthplace of Plau am See to reduce expenses.
In 1913 four German sculptors were asked to renovate several reliefs of the Brandenburger Tor; Wandschneider finally renovated in 1926 the reliefs number 29 and 17, however the renovation of number 17 was in fact a completely new interpretation of the Centaur-fight.
Wandschneider joined the National Socialist party in 1930.
He created in 1935 ‘Mähender‘ (‘Mowing‘), located in the Dammstrasse, Plau am See, and also ‘Der Sähmann‘ (‘The Sower’), located in the same street. Gauleiter Friedrich Hildebrandt bought a second cast of ‘Der Sähmann’ which he placed in front of the Gauschule in the city of Schwerin. The Kreisverwaltung of the NSDAP of the city of Waren bought a third cast. A year later he created the ‘Skagerrak-Denkmal‘, a memorial, located between the Park- and Thünenstrasse in Rostock, commemorating the sinking of the Kreuzer ‘Rostock’ at the Battle of Skagerrak in WWI. The memorial was revealed at 28 Juni 1936; the bronze was destroyed after 1945, but the base still exists. In 1937 he created ‘Trauender Soldat’, a monument of a Mourning Soldier at the Ehrenfriedhof in the city of Schwerin. It was revealed at 6 June 1937, and is still existing.
At the Great German Art Exhibitions, Wandschneider was represented with two figures: ‘Aphrodite’, GDK 1940 room 2, and the last sculpture he created in his lifetime, ‘Thor’, GDK 1942 room 20.
‘Aphrodite’
‘Aphrodite’, created in 1907, was displayed at the GDK 1940 room 2. It was bought by Hitler for 6.600 Reichsmark and destinated for the New Reichs Chancellery or for the Führermuseum in Linz. ‘Aphrodite’ was one of the 30 sculptures found back in in the Monastery of Hohenfurt in 1945. Later the bronze was placed in the garden of Schlossgarten Hluboká nad Vlavou (German: Frauenberg), Czech Republic; in 2009 it was -for security reasons- placed in a depot of the castle.
A second cast of Aphrodite was donated by Hitler in 1942 to the city of Linz and placed in a pillared pavilion in Bauernberg Park, overlooking the city, where the Führer lived between 10 and 18 years old. The bronze was a personal gift from Hitler, who wanted to make the city of Linz (which he considered to be his hometown) the ‘cultural capital’ of the Third Reich. In 2008 the sculpture was put for ten years in the cellar of the Nordico Stadtmuseum of Linz. Since 2018 it is integrated in the permanent exhibition.
Wilhelm Wandschneider died in 1942 in Plau am See.
In 1990 Wandschneiders statue of Werner von Siemens (bronze, 2,50 meters high) was displayed at the ‘Ausstellung der Skulpturengalerie der Staatlichen Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, -Ethos und Pathos’, in Berlin. Also depicted in the exhibition catalogue.
In 1994, the city of Plau established a new museum to house his works, the ‘Bildhauermuseum Prof. Wandschneider’. In 2014, the redesigned and enlarged collection was moved to the ‘Burgmuseum’.