According to legend, this tapestry was one of a group secured in the Berchtesgaden residence of Heinrich Himmler in 1945 by soldiers of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne when the mountain retreat. The design was originally laid out by Professor Carl Diebitsch, an SS-Oberfuehrer and one of the top artistic designers to the Third Reich, being responsible for the hilt profile for the SS Police Sword, the scabbard of the 1936 "SS-Mann" dagger, and working with Walter Heck on the signature black Allemeigne-SS uniform. Actual handwork on the piece was performed by Elsie Seifert, the Professor's sister. Between these two points are where things get interesting, specifically the question of where Himmler originally acquired the tapestries. One story is that they were part of a larger display hung in the Reichstag, during the brief period between the Nazi's were elected to power in 1933 and the Reichstag Fire that same year, which served as the catalyst for the Reichstag Fire Decree, Hitler's first step towards the pure dictatorship over Germany that he sought. It still is a subject of debate whether the fire was the act of a lone communist which the National Socialists were able to capitalize on, or a false flag attack by the Party itself, but regardless the legend is that this tapestry was recovered from the wreckage. The overall dimensions are 78 inches wide and 151 inches long, with a 41 inch long section of smooth red velvet at the top used for hanging the art piece from a pole or wall top, and a 10 inch golden bullion fringe at the bottom. Running across the top and dropping down the sides are a pair of thick gold bullion ropes ending in matching tassels, staggered to hang 89 and 97 inches down on each side. The core of the tapestry, 100 inches long and the full width of the item, is an extensive series of gold ribbon and weave decoration. The border of the design is a repeating "Greek key" design 6 3/4 inches thick producing a continuing swastika pattern, with the corners punctuated by equally sized 8-armed "sonnenrad" pattern sunwheel crosses. The sonnenrad was an icon of solar worship among the ancient Teutonic peoples, a role also served in some cultures by the swastika, and the sonnenrad's influence can be seen in the 4-armed "sunwheel" pattern swastika used by some Nazi organs. At the center is an impressive 56 inch wide, 72 1/2 inch long field of wavy gold fabric, with a series of alternating swastikas and oak leaf sprigs, arranged in five rows of three columns, with the swastikas measuring 10 1/2 inches square and the oak leaves sized to match. An identical piece, also reported as a trophy from Himmler's vacation home, can be seen in Thomas M. Johnson's book "World War II German War Booty, Volume II".

Excellent. A small amount of wear and fraying is visible on the bullion, and a few of the threads that secure one of the ropes on the left side of the tapestry have come undone, otherwise this tapestry is in superb condition, having made it through the years (and possibly a firebombing) in top form. The detail work on the tapestry is excellent, and the piece itself could serve as the capstone of an elite collection of Third Reich memorabilia.