Portrait Found in the Ruins of the Reichs Chancellery-Here is a chance to own a documented piece of history! This grouping is documented in volume 3 of my 4 volume book series titled “The Stories Behind the Treasures, The Making of a Collectorholic”, specifically on pages 998, 999 and 1000. This is a portrait/etching dated 1916 by Fritz Gartner titled “Karpathengräber” (Carpathian Graves). It measures 6” by 4” as viewed (modern frame is 9 ¾” by 11 ½”). It was found in the ruins of the Reichs Chancellery by US naval officer Millard Billings. We purchased them from Chuck Scaglione who has been a long trusted source for us. A letter that accompanied this, written by Billings, reads in part:
“In the Chancellery building everything that had not been looted by the Russians had been destroyed by fire, bullets, or bayonets. The walls were covered with graffiti. On the top floor, the fifth, in the front of the building, was a large room which apparently had served as an office where gifts sent to the Fuhrer had been received, acknowledged, and stored. The shelves were now empty and the roof was open to the sky. Rubble littered the floor, perhaps a foot deep. As I walked over this litter, my foot struck something buried in it, I dug down in the rubble and found a large portfolio which contained these etchings. Buried nearby was another portfolio with more etchings. After some difficulty with the Russian guard, I got them to my waiting jeep, and when I returned to the U.S. brought them with me”.
Very interesting and a definite piece of history!