German RAD Soldier with Steel Helmet 1941 (Pioneer) - Alfred Oppel
Exceptionally rare and museum-quality collector’s piece: German Soldier with Steel Helmet 1941 (RAD Pioneer) – hand-painted, fully glazed porcelain figure by the renowned artist Alfred Oppel for the Älteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur (State Thuringian Porcelain Manufactory, formerly Älteste Volkstedter GmbH, Rudolstadt-Volkstedt). An impressive historical artifact from the National Socialist era executed with outstanding modeling and painting quality.
Figure: The approx. 37 cm tall porcelain figure depicts a dynamic RAD pioneer (Reichsarbeitsdienst / Reich Labor Service) at work in typical uniform: greenish shirt with rolled-up sleeves, long green trousers, black boots, and belt with bread bag and canteen. The soldier carries a shovel over his shoulder and holds a pickaxe – classic pioneer tools. The pose conveys strength and determination. Finest hand-painting with realistic skin tones, detailed fabric structure, and brilliant glossy glaze.
Base & Markings: The figure stands on a naturalistically modeled earth base (“breaking ground”). On the underside clearly incised and underglaze blue the rare wartime factory mark “Staatl. Thüringische Porzellan-Manufaktur vorm. älteste Volkstedter GmbH Rudolstadt-Volkstedt” together with the artist’s signature “A. Oppel”. Absolutely authentic and correct for production around 1941.
Condition:Condition 1 – absolutely flawless, no chips, no cracks, no restorations. The glaze is brilliantly preserved, colors fresh and vibrant. A true museum piece!
Technical Data:
• Height × Width × Depth: 372 × 210 × 120 mm
• Weight: 1,671 g
• Artist: Alfred Oppel
• Manufactory: Älteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur
• Model: RAD Pioneer with Steel Helmet 1941
Historical Context: RAD Pioneer Figures by Älteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur (ca. 1940–1944)
The Älteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur (founded 1762) produced a small series of propagandistic soldier and labor-service figures during the National Socialist period. The models designed by Alfred Oppel are regarded as the artistically finest and rarest of this era.
The depicted RAD members with spade, pickaxe, and typical uniform symbolized the ideology of “labor and military readiness”. Due to the short production period and the destruction of many pieces during the war, perfectly preserved examples are extremely rare today and highly sought-after by collectors of Third Reich porcelain.
This figure, bearing the original wartime factory mark and artist’s signature, is one of the rarest highlights on the market.
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