Art work by Adolf Hitler when he was a struggling artist to go on sale in Germany for £15,000

Three paintings by a young Adolf Hitler, including one that may contain a self-portrait of the dictator, have been put up for sale for £15,000.

The watercolour artworks depict idyllic valleys and mountains in Germany’s Rhineland and his native Austria.

They are dated 1910 and 1911, when the Nazi leader was aged 21 and struggling to make a living as an artist in Vienna.

They are all signed ‘A Hitler’ and have been authenticated by a handwriting expert.

One of the paintings, titled ‘Alpenlandschaft’ or Alpine landscape in English, has an image of a man sat on a rock in front of a stream painting the scene in front of him. 

‘Alpenlandschaft’ or ‘Alpine landscape’, shows a figure painting the scenery. It is thought this could be a depiction of a young Adolf Hitler at work

'Niederthal, Vent' - a popular skiing spot in Austria - is one of the three paintings by a young Adolf Hitler to go up for auction in Berlin 

‘Niederthal, Vent’ – a popular skiing spot in Austria – is one of the three paintings by a young Adolf Hitler to go up for auction in Berlin 

It is thought this image of a painter sketching the landscape could be a depiction of the young dictator at work. 

The other two works are titled ‘Rheinlandschaft’, or landscape with Rhine, and ‘Niederthal, Vent’, a popular skiing spot in Austria.

Each painting is individually valued at £5,000.

They are being sold by Berlin auction house Auktionshaus Kloss having been consigned for sale from a private collection.

The vendor had previously bought the paintings from an Austrian estate.

Art work by the evil dictator is allowed to be sold in Germany as long as it does not contain any Nazi symbols. 

Despite this, one British art expert expressed his ‘surprise’ that the sale was going ahead. 

'Rheinlandschaft', or 'landscape with Rhine', is dated 1910 and 1911, when Hitler was a 21-year-old struggling to make a living as an artist in Vienna

‘Rheinlandschaft’, or ‘landscape with Rhine’, is dated 1910 and 1911, when Hitler was a 21-year-old struggling to make a living as an artist in Vienna

Adolf Hitler's signature, authenticated by a handwriting expert, on one of the three paintings which have emerged by the young Nazi leader for sale for £15,000

Adolf Hitler’s signature, authenticated by a handwriting expert, on one of the three paintings which have emerged by the young Nazi leader for sale for £15,000

Michael Liversidge, Emeritus Dean of Arts at the University of Bristol, said: ‘I’m surprised that these paintings are going on sale in Germany as I understood Germans understandably don’t look favourably on people benefiting from that kind of material.

‘Hitler did not get into the Art Academy in Vienna and this judgement was made on artistic merits, but an interest remains among some collectors in his work.’

The Fuhrer had aspirations to be an artist from a young age but was rejected twice, in 1907 and 1908, by the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

German dictator Adolf Hitler giving the Nazi salute from his car at the Nazi Party Congress at Nuremberg in 1934

German dictator Adolf Hitler giving the Nazi salute from his car at the Nazi Party Congress at Nuremberg in 1934

He still sought to making a living as an artist, selling paintings and postcards, before enlisting in the Bavarian Army in the First World War.

He reputedly told British ambassador Nevile Henderson in August 1939: ‘I am an artist and not a politician. Once the Polish question is settled, I want to end my life as an artist.’

Ina Hall, an expert at Auktionshaus Kloss, said: ‘Generally paintings from Hitler seldom appear at auction so they are very wanted among collectors.

‘Unfortunately, we really don’t know who the figure is in the front of one of the pictures.’

Frank Garo, forensic handwriting examiner, said: ‘This item has been carefully examined and compared to real, known exemplars.

‘Signature shows spontaneity, proper letter size and formation. It shows no sign of being drawn or forced.

‘Based on the comparison and the inherent characteristics of the autographs, it is my belief that this is an authentic item.’

In recent years, paintings by Hitler have become popular among collectors, with his watercolour of the old registry office in Munich selling for €130,000 (£114,000) at an auction in Nuremburg in 2014.

The sale of these recent works takes place tomorrow.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk