Hitler Bust by TH LINZ

[DerFunker]

That's a really nice bust by Theodor Linz. Thanks for sharing it. It's very hard to get hold of one by such a great artist as Linz and I don't think his busts of AH can be beaten for quality and likeness. I've seen people (on the internet of course) almost scoff at busts that were made from metals other than bronze and I always shake my head at their comments. The metals of the time went to the war effort and it was hard enough to get enough survival food, let alone metals such as bronze. People almost forget that food rationing didn't end in the UK until 1954, so I was always amazed at the resilience of people like Linz who managed to keep these arts alive when the odds were stacked so heavily against it. These don't appear for sale very often so you did well to snap it up when you found it.

I'd guess yours probably weighs around 40 pounds and that would be a headache when trying to find a suitable place to display it. Very few household shelves will take it and it's likely to make any cabinet "top heavy" so probably needs to be kept lower down.

I have a Theodor Linz bust of AH and finding a suitable location to place it permanently is not easy.

Thanks, Dalagan! This is indeed a war-time bust cast from what is probably some type of zinc alloy, or "pot metal" as we used to call it. It's retained much of its bronzed finish and has a nice, worn-at-the-high-areas look to it. I'm in full agreement that the Theodor Linz busts are among the best, most human looking representations of AH - though I do currently have my eye on a smaller W. Zoll marked bust that is also quite nice. There were a few different sizes of this particular bust, and this is something like a 2/3 size bust, so not as heavy as 40 lbs. - I'd guess this one is maybe closer to 15 lbs, but definitely top-heavy and lives on a bottom shelf. Thanks for having a look and taking the time to comment!

Congrats on a great looking period AH bust!

Thanks, Erich. Its a real centerpiece of the collection!

[Dalagan]

DerFunker,

I have attached a list I found of various sizes and prices of these busts at the time. I just hope it uploads and shows here.

The Linz that I have is about 2x life size and weighs in at 62.8 pounds with its base, so it's a lump.

Lothar Dietz also made excellent large bronze Adolf busts, but they are all scarce on the ground now.