Der Bannerträger - The Standard Bearer

DER BANNERTRÄGER — THE STANDARD BEARER

After Arno Breker.

The banner rests across the shoulder.

The body moves forward beneath it.

Der Bannerträger, The Standard Bearer, is generally dated to 1940 and belongs to the period in which Arno Breker was producing his most monumental state commissions in Berlin.

Unlike the sword-bearing figures that dominate much of Breker’s work from these years, the central object here is not a weapon.

It is the standard.

The figure advances in a measured stride, the pole carried across the shoulder while the heavy folds of the banner spread behind him. The body and fabric move in opposite directions, giving the composition its tension: the man progresses forward while carrying something larger than himself.

The standard bearer is an ancient type.

Across military and civic history, the bearer of the banner occupies a peculiar position. He does not merely carry cloth. He carries the visible sign around which others orient themselves — identity made physical.

Breker reduces that idea to its essentials: figure, movement and emblem.

The work belongs unmistakably to the official artistic culture of Nazi Germany. Breker was among the regime’s most prominent sculptors, and the idealized male body became one of the principal instruments of his monumental visual language — used to communicate strength, discipline, collective identity and political power.

Period stereoscopic photographs document Breker working directly on Der Bannerträger, preserving rare evidence of the relief during its creation. The composition was subsequently reproduced in contemporary publications devoted to German sculpture.

The precise fate of the monumental original is difficult to establish from the accessible surviving record.

What remains with certainty is the image:

the advancing figure,

the weight across his shoulder,

and the banner carried forward.

Carefully restored and digitally prepared from surviving photographic material to preserve depth, tonal structure and sculptural detail.

Printed on museum-grade matte paper.

This edition is exclusively offered through Thuleism.

Historical note: This print presents a historical artwork in its original context. Its inclusion does not constitute endorsement of the political regime under which the work was created.

_______________________________________________________________________

 Product details

- Museum-grade matte paper

- Archival pigment print

- Thick, durable stock

- Designed for framing

 Each piece is set within the chosen paper format rather than printed edge to edge. The surrounding margins are intentional, allowing the work to breathe and making it easier to frame using widely available standard frame sizes.

Please note that the selected size refers to the overall paper size, not the dimensions of the printed image itself. The artwork is proportionally fitted within that format, with margins varying slightly depending on the original composition.

______________________________________________________________________

Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years
Other compliance information: Meets the small parts and magnetic flux index level requirements.

In compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Oak inc. and SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED ensure that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU standards. For any product safety related inquiries or concerns, please contact our EU representative at gpsr@sindenventures.com. You can also write to us at 123 Main Street, Anytown, Country or Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus.