Availability: Uncommon
Maker: Bildgießerei Kraas Berlin – Kraas Bildguss
Size: Various
Material: Patinated brass
Artist: Josef Pabst
Josef Pabst (1879, Koblenz – 1950, Adenau) was a German sculptor. In 1896, Pabst first learned sculpture at the Royal District Building Trade School in Kaiserslautern. After further studies in Karlsruhe, Munich, Berlin and Paris, he lived in Cologne. Josef Pabst in addition to the artists Otto D. Douglas-Hill and Werner Peiner, were valued by the architect Ernst Sagebiel and were involved in the design of the Reich Aviation Ministry. Josef Pabst works also include inlay work that was exhibited at the NS-Ordensburg Vogelsang and has been preserved in the building at Landsbergstrasse 16 in Cologne.
Josef Pabst produced a number of different style desk eagles during the 3rd Reich era. Known to collectors as simply the ‘Pabst Eagles’, these bronze or patinated brass eagles are often characterized by fully outstretched wings accentuating the flowing curves of the stylized feathers. They usually have an intricate chest pattern and an extremely detailed wreath surrounding the swastika. The original eagles are always signed J.Pabst or Pabst under the rear of the wreath or on the base of the bronze pillar connecting the eagle to the marble mounting plinth and are also sometimes foundry marked. None are ever exactly alike due to the ‘lost-wax’ casting process used to manufacture them. They were hand produced in very limited numbers and as such are far rarer than the ‘Nuremberg’ style eagle and originals are always highly sought by collectors. Below are some of the various styles and examples.
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