PHOTOGRAPH & AUTOGRAPH OF NOTED GERMAN NAVAL ARTIST HANS BOHRDT

$225.00

Both before and during WW I, Hans Bohrdt (1857-1945) was one of Germany’s best-known marine artists. He was born in Berlin. At the age of 15 he visited Hamburg and had his first taste of life involving the sea. He was self-taught. In the 1890’s he caught Kaiser Wilhelm II’s attention, who soon became Bohrdt’s patron. Bohrdt even accompanied the Kaiser on some of the S. M. Y. Hohenzollern’s cruises. Bohrdt’s output was prolific during WW I, and along with Professor Willy Stöwer, he was among the best-known depicters of German naval warfare. Perhaps his best-known wartime painting depicts the Battle of the Falklands. The battle, which took place on 8 December 1914, saw the German East Asian Squadron destroyed by the English. Almost 1,900 sailors lost their lives, including the fleet commander, Vizeadmiral Graf Maximilian von Spee, and his two sons. This painting shows a single German sailor who has had his ship shot from under him. He stands on the wreckage of his ship and defiantly thrusts a kriegsflagge in the air. It is rumored that the sailor belonged to the crew of the Nürnberg, whose members preferred to go down with their ship, flags in hand, rather than surrender to the British. Bohrdt saw great success from 1890 through 1918. When his royal patron was exiled to the Netherlands, and military-themed artwork stirred up too many unpleasant memories, Bohrdt fell from popularity in Germany. Today we are offering a photo of Bohrdt in a marine-themed uniform complete with binoculars. He also appears to be wearing the Kaiserlicher Yacht Club’s visor cap. It is perfectly logical that the membership committee would have invited him to join the club due to his relationship with the club’s Commodore (Kaiser Wilhelm II). Below Bohrdt’s photo is a large clipped signature. These two items are presented in a green matte that measures 10 3/4″ x 6 3/4.” The photograph and signature are displayed from windows within the matte. The photograph measures 5 1/2″ x 3 1/4.” The signature, which is large and bold in black ink, measures 2 1/4″ x 4 1/4.”

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SKU: 19-210 Categories: ,

Description

Both before and during WW I, Hans Bohrdt (1857-1945) was one of Germany’s best-known marine artists. He was born in Berlin. At the age of 15 he visited Hamburg and had his first taste of life involving the sea. He was self-taught. In the 1890’s he caught Kaiser Wilhelm II’s attention, who soon became Bohrdt’s patron. Bohrdt even accompanied the Kaiser on some of the S. M. Y. Hohenzollern’s cruises. Bohrdt’s output was prolific during WW I, and along with Professor Willy Stöwer, he was among the best-known depicters of German naval warfare. Perhaps his best-known wartime painting depicts the Battle of the Falklands. The battle, which took place on 8 December 1914, saw the German East Asian Squadron destroyed by the English. Almost 1,900 sailors lost their lives, including the fleet commander, Vizeadmiral Graf Maximilian von Spee, and his two sons. This painting shows a single German sailor who has had his ship shot from under him. He stands on the wreckage of his ship and defiantly thrusts a kriegsflagge in the air. It is rumored that the sailor belonged to the crew of the Nürnberg, whose members preferred to go down with their ship, flags in hand, rather than surrender to the British. Bohrdt saw great success from 1890 through 1918. When his royal patron was exiled to the Netherlands, and military-themed artwork stirred up too many unpleasant memories, Bohrdt fell from popularity in Germany. Today we are offering a photo of Bohrdt in a marine-themed uniform complete with binoculars. He also appears to be wearing the Kaiserlicher Yacht Club’s visor cap. It is perfectly logical that the membership committee would have invited him to join the club due to his relationship with the club’s Commodore (Kaiser Wilhelm II). Below Bohrdt’s photo is a large clipped signature. These two items are presented in a green matte that measures 10 3/4″ x 6 3/4.” The photograph and signature are displayed from windows within the matte. The photograph measures 5 1/2″ x 3 1/4.” The signature, which is large and bold in black ink, measures 2 1/4″ x 4 1/4.”

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