Germany, Nsdap. An Art Deco Silver & Bone Artists Folder Presented To Frieda Thiersch

The award and presentation documents issued throughout the Third Reich period stand apart from those of other military regimes in both their extravagance and artistic attributes. Frieda Thiersch, having studied at the Royal School of Arts & Crafts at Munich, stood as the artistic creator of nearly all high level presentation documents and folders that were crafted for the Reich. Influenced by classic literature, the rise of art deco properties, as well as nordic history, the documents produced by Frieda Thiersch and her workshop are now widely known to collectors and historians alike. Award documents for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the Blood order, as well as the National Prize for Art and Science were designed, hand produced, and approved under her artistic direction. All levels of NSDAP officials recognised her contribution to the symbology and ideals of the Reich, and in return, Frieda Thiersch was presented this gift on behalf of the Führer by Martin Bormann.

A rare and desirable commemorative bone folder gifted to NSDAP artist and bookbinder Frieda Thiersch, consisting of a glazed bone measuring approximately 220 mm (l) x 30 mm (w), the obverse featuring an engraved and gilded dedication reading “IN ANERKENNUNG AN IHRE HERVORRAGENDE HANDWERKSKUNST” (“IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR EXCEPTIONAL HANDICRAFT ART”) along with a signature of the Führer, set into a highly detailed eagle’s head handle with a feathered grip and secured with a single rivet, bearing a stamped silver hallmark of Martin Mayer, Mainz, measuring 32 mm (w) x 292 mm (l) overall, in extremely fine condition.

Accompanied by a letter, constructed of white paper stock with black ink, dated 23 April 1941 and featuring the letterhead of Reichsleiter Martin Bormann and issued by the Führerhauptquartier (Führer Headquarters), with an inscription of “SEHR GEEHRTE FRAU THIERSCH, DER FÜHRER AH HAT SICH SCHON DES ÖFTEREN ÜBER IHRE AUßERORDENTLICHE, KUNSTVOLLE HANDARBEIT ERFREUT, DIE SIE IHM IN IHREN URKUNDEN UND IN DEN VON IHM PERSÖNLICH IN AUFTRAG GEGEBENEN STAATSGESCHENKEN GEMACHT HABEN. DER FÜHRER HAT MICH DESHALB BEAUFTRAGT IHNEN ALS ANERKENNUNG IHRER HANDWERKSKUNST, EIN VON IHM AN SIE GEWIDMETES FALZBEIN, DAS TRADITIONELLE HANDWERKSZEUG IHRER ZUNFT ZUKOMMEN ZU LASSEN.”, closing with a handwritten signature of Martin Bormann, measuring 208 mm (w) x 295 mm (h), minor soiling and material fatigue are evident, including a small tear near the obverse upper left corner, in overall near extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Born on 2 July 1889 in Munich to architect Friedrich Maximillian Ritter von Thiersch and his wife Auguste, Frieda Thiersch followed her father into the world of art and design, sitting as a model for several prominent sculptors before attending the Königliche Kunstgewerbeschule München (Royal School of Arts and Crafts, Munich). Searching for a career path, she relocated to London between 1910 and 1912 to learn bookbinding. Returning to Germany, she volunteered as a Red Cross nurse during the First World War, and later resumed her trade, opening a workshop in Munich. Thiersch’s business soon gained a prestigious reputation for quality craftsmanship, with a focus on producing ornate editions of classical literature. Through contacts with Gerdy Troost (the widow of architect Paul Ludwig Troost, a favourite of the NSDAP), Thiersch secured a lucrative contact to produce award document binders and book publications for the NSDAP. These included the Third Reich’s most prestigious decorations, including the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, the Blood Order, the German National Prize for Art and Science, and others. At the end of the war, Thiersch’s assets were seized by US occupation forces, and Thiersch herself succumbed to terminal cancer in her hometown of Munich on 10 July 1947.