The sitting coal tit from the Porzellan Manufaktur Allach, model number 111, represents a complex chapter in German cultural history where artistic craftsmanship and the dark history of National Socialism are inseparably intertwined. This delicate white glazed porcelain piece, approximately 9 centimeters in height, bears on its underside the characteristic green SS-Allach manufacturer's mark, the artist signature Professor Krieger, and the factory model number 111.
The Porzellan Manufaktur Allach was founded in 1935 in Allach near Munich as a private company by Franz Nagy and Karl Diebitsch. Just one year later, in 1936, the SS acquired the manufactory, making it part of the SS economic empire under the patronage of Heinrich Himmler. The factory became one of Himmler's favorite projects, conceived not as a profit-driven enterprise but to support the upbringing of National Socialist people and promote what the Nazis considered Germanic culture and aesthetic ideals.
In 1937, most production was relocated to a facility adjacent to Dachau concentration camp. Beginning in 1940, Jewish and non-Jewish prisoners from Dachau were forced to work in the factory producing luxury porcelain items. Initially, 10 prisoners were deployed, but this number grew dramatically during the war years. During the war years, approximately 25 to 30 civilian workers and around 50 concentration camp prisoners worked at the Dachau facility producing porcelain. By 1943, over 100 concentration camp prisoners were employed.
The creator of this bird figurine, Wilhelm Krieger (1871-1945), was a self-taught sculptor who received the honorary title of Professor from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture in 1927. From 1937 to 1944, he exhibited at the annual Great German Art Exhibition at the Haus der Kunst in Munich. Krieger designed at least three documented bird models for Allach: Model 110 (Waxwing), Model 111 (Coal Tit), and Model K10 (Eagle). He died on September 14, 1945 in Herrsching.
The manufactory employed renowned German porcelain artists including Professor Theodor Kärner as artistic director, along with Richard Förster, Franz Nagy, and others. Between 1935 and 1945, the Allach manufactory produced over 240 different porcelain and ceramic models. Production numbers for individual models are largely unknown as official production lists after 1939 have not survived. The only documented production figure is for the Julleuchter candleholder: 52,635 units were produced in 1939 alone, the highest production of any single Allach item.
The bird figurines were produced in both white glazed and painted or colored versions. Allach porcelain was produced for multiple purposes: some pieces were sold to the general public through showrooms in Berlin, Posen, Warsaw, and Lemberg, notably not in Munich itself. Other items were reserved for SS members at discounted prices. Heinrich Himmler controlled approximately 45 percent of factory output for gifting to SS officials and friends. Prices were kept deliberately low due to forced labor production.
Production continued until late April 1945 when U.S. forces liberated Dachau on April 29, 1945. The Allach sub-camp held approximately 3,000 Jewish and 6,000 non-Jewish prisoners at liberation. Allied forces destroyed or confiscated many molds. After the war, some former Allach figures reappeared: Franz Nagy may have briefly restarted limited production using an N mark instead of SS runes on some stoneware pieces. Professor Theodor Kärner reused some Allach molds while working at Eschenbach porcelain factory in the U.S.-controlled zone of Germany.
Today, Allach porcelain remains highly controversial. While collectors value the pieces for their craftsmanship and rarity, with individual pieces fetching prices up to €50,000 at auction, museums and historians handle these objects as evidence of Nazi cultural propaganda and forced labor exploitation. Allach porcelain continues to be sold through private dealers, auction houses, and online platforms despite its connection to concentration camp slave labor. Modern exhibitions and scholarship emphasize preserving these items as historical evidence rather than glorifying them.
