Circa 1935. From the Old Reich Chancellery. Relief national eagle on the handle with decorative border. Reverse stamped “Bruckmann” and “90” for fine silver plating, length 26.5 cm. Light signs of use, condition 2.
This tableware was in use in the Old Reich Chancellery as well as in German embassies abroad.

We were able to acquire a small remaining stock from U.S. war booty

The canteen of the Reich Chancellery was under the direction of Arthur Kannenberg (born February 23, 1896 in Charlottenburg; died January 26, 1963 in Düsseldorf). Kannenberg was Adolf Hitler's house steward. Kannenberg graduated from the Werdersche Oberrealschule in Berlin with intermediate school certification and began an apprenticeship in 1912 in his father Oskar Kannenberg's restaurant business. From 1915 he served in Telegraph Battalion I and was discharged as a Private First Class in 1918. From 1924 he managed his father's businesses, the Restaurant Kannenberg, Hotel Stadt Berlin and the excursion restaurant Onkel Toms Hütte located in Grunewald, which went bankrupt in 1930. As manager of Pfuhl's Wine and Beer Taverns, where prominent Nazi figures such as Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring frequented, he met Hitler, who offered him the management of the casino at the party headquarters Braunes Haus in Munich. He took up this position in 1931. Subsequently, he was also given management of the canteen of the NSDAP Reich Leadership School on Schwanthaler Strasse. After Hitler became Reich Chancellor in 1933, Kannenberg became house steward in the Reich Chancellery. He organized the operation of the Führer's household. This included in particular the hiring of personnel, procurement of food and beverages, and preparation of menus, but also organizing catering at state receptions both in the Reich Chancellery and occasionally at the Berghof; during the war he then worked at the Führer Headquarters in the Wolfsschanze and finally in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. In May 1945 he was interned by the Americans and released on July 25, 1946.
Many pieces from the Reich Chancellery were popular souvenirs of the occupation troops after the war's end, but many Berliners also restocked their often bombed-out households with the remains of the Reich Chancellery.

471453

€ 900,00

Third Reich Adolf Hitler: Cold Cuts Fork from the Silverware of the Old Reich Chancellery

This cold cuts fork from the Old Reich Chancellery represents a fascinating testament to the material culture of the Nazi regime and its efforts to demonstrate power and legitimacy through ceremonial furnishings and representative objects. The silverware of the Reich Chancellery was not merely functional tableware, but part of a carefully orchestrated system of state representation.

The Old Reich Chancellery on Wilhelmplatz in Berlin had served as the official seat of the Reich Chancellor since the 19th century. After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, the building became the center of the National Socialist government. The representative furnishings of this institution took on special significance, as it hosted state receptions, diplomatic meetings, and official events. The silverware had to meet the regime's demands both functionally and symbolically.

The production of such cutlery pieces was carried out by renowned manufacturers like Bruckmann from Heilbronn, one of Germany's leading silver goods houses since 1805. The company had already held court supplier status during the Imperial era and continued this tradition under the Nazi regime. The marking “90” on the piece indicates a 90 percent fine silver plating, pointing to high-quality workmanship. The embossed Imperial Eagle on the handle symbolized state authority and was the official emblem of the German Reich from 1935 onward.

Arthur Kannenberg (1896-1963) played a central role as House Intendant in organizing the daily operations of the Reich Chancellery. His career paralleled the rise of the NSDAP: After the bankruptcy of his father's restaurant businesses in 1930, he found employment in Berlin establishments frequented by Nazi leaders. In 1931, he took over management of the casino in the Brown House in Munich, the NSDAP party headquarters. With Hitler's appointment as Reich Chancellor in 1933, Kannenberg became House Intendant of the Reich Chancellery.

His responsibilities were comprehensive: staff hiring, food procurement, menu planning, and organizing state receptions. The silverware fell under his supervision and was used not only in the Old Reich Chancellery but also in the New Reich Chancellery, built by Albert Speer in 1938/39, as well as in German embassies abroad. During the war, Kannenberg accompanied Hitler to the Wolf's Lair headquarters and finally to the Führer bunker in Berlin.

The symbolic significance of such objects in the Nazi state cannot be overestimated. The regime placed great emphasis on visual representation and symbolism. Every detail at state receptions was deliberate and intended to convey power, order, and cultural superiority. The silverware bearing the Imperial Eagle was part of this staging.

After the war's end in May 1945, the Reich Chancellery was occupied by Soviet and later Allied troops. The building was severely damaged by air raids and ground combat. In the chaotic postwar period, numerous objects from the Reich Chancellery were taken as war booty or souvenirs. American, British, French, and Soviet soldiers took everything that was transportable. Simultaneously, Berlin civilians also plundered the ruins, often to refurnish their households destroyed by bombing.

This practice of souvenir-taking was widespread among Allied soldiers. Objects with Nazi symbolism were particularly sought after as trophies and mementos. Many of these objects thus made their way to the United States, Great Britain, and other countries, where they remained in private ownership for decades. Today, such pieces regularly appear on the collector's market.

The historical assessment of such objects is complex. On one hand, they are material witnesses to a dark period of German history; on the other, they serve as teaching tools and documents. Museums and educational institutions use such artifacts to illustrate the mechanisms of totalitarian rule, including the role of symbolism and representation.

Provenance research for such objects is often difficult. While many pieces were legally taken as war booty, problematic acquisition histories also exist. The scholarly examination of National Socialism's material culture remains an important research field.

Arthur Kannenberg was interned by American troops in May 1945 and released on July 25, 1946. He subsequently lived quietly in Düsseldorf, where he died in 1963. His role as House Intendant made him an eyewitness to the regime's final days in the Führer bunker.

Today, such objects remind us of the necessity of historical education and critical engagement with the past. They are silent witnesses to a time whose lessons must not be forgotten.