Ernst von Sieglin
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Ernst von Sieglin (born April 21, 1848 in Stuttgart ; † October 3, 1927 in Stuttgart) was a Stuttgart entrepreneur, antiquities lover and patron of culture.
Together with an English chemist, Sieglin developed a powdered soap to replace conventional detergents, which he produced in several factories and marketed very successfully. Thanks to the wealth he had acquired in the process, he was able to retire from active business life in 1898 and turn to his hobbies, archeology and art.
He financed two archaeological expeditions in Egypt and their documentation in scientific publications. He increased the "Greek-Egyptian Collection Ernst von Sieglin" acquired during the expeditions and gave the collection away to museums in Stuttgart, Leipzig, Dresden and Tübingen.
Life
Early years
Ernst Wilhelm Sieglin was born on April 21, 1848 in Stuttgart, the oldest of 5 children. His father was the pharmacist Ernst Sieglin, his mother was the pastor's daughter Mathilde Staub.
After attending the Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium in Stuttgart, Sieglin completed a commercial training with a Stuttgart company. From 1866 he worked for 4 years in London in the office of the "Ockendon Company Wollwarenexport". Between 1870 and 1876 he worked as an accountant at the wool spinning mill "Bongart & Co." in Aachen. In addition, he occupied himself with experiments for the production of powdered soap, which, however, were unsuccessful due to insufficient chemical knowledge.
Soap manufacturer
In 1876 Sieglin went back to the Ockendon Company and attended chemistry lectures at University College London . Together with the chemist Richard Thompson in Bradford , who had already invented liquid soap, Sieglin succeeded in developing powdered soap. In 1877 he went back to Germany and began producing the soap in Aachen under the brand name “Dr. Thompson's Soap Powder - Brand Schwan ”, a brand that quickly became a bestseller thanks to Sieglin's clever marketing. In 1880 he received the sole right to sell the brand in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
This was followed by the establishment of plants in Wittenberg , Berlin and Verviers in Belgium, and in 1897 the main plant in Düsseldorf- Flingern was opened at Erkrather Straße 208. The company "R. Thompson & Co. ”was established in 1891 in“ Ernst Sieglin, Dr. Thompson's Soap Powder ”was renamed and converted into a GmbH in 1907, Sieglin remained the sole managing director. He became a successful and very wealthy entrepreneur who also shared the company's success with his workforce. He introduced the six-day week and the eight-hour day, granted workers paid leave, and set up works canteens and holiday homes for employees.
The fierce competition, especially from the company “ Henkel & Cie. ", Which became the market leader from 1907 with" Persil ", Sieglin reacted with the products" Ozonit "and" Ozonil ". After Sieglin's death in 1927, his heirs initially continued the company. In 1929 Henkel took over the majority stake and in 1933 all shares in Sieglin's company. Sieglin's son Ernst Sieglin became managing director of the newly founded subsidiary "Thompson Werke GmbH" in Düsseldorf. In 1969 the Thompson works merged with the Siegel works to form the "Thompson-Siegel GmbH", which still exists today and was taken over by Henkel in 1971.
Expeditions
In 1898, the 50-year-old Sieglin retired from active business life. The acquired fortune enabled him to turn to other interests. His brother, the historical geographer Wilhelm Sieglin , suggested that he undertake excavations in Alexandria to look for the tomb of Alexander the Great. Ernst von Sieglin traveled to Egypt several times and financed the "Expedition Ernst von Sieglin" in Alexandria, which under the direction of the archaeologist Theodor Schreiber did not discover Alexander's grave from 1898 to 1902, but the multi-story underground necropolis of Kôm-Esch -Schukafa explored. Further excavations took place on the area of the Serapeion , in the royal quarter and in the Hadra district. Sieglin also financed the scientific publication of the results, which he published in several volumes under the title "Expedition Ernst von Sieglin, excavations in Alexandria". In Alexandria he met Johannes Schiess .
A second expedition, financed by Sieglin, took place in various locations in Egypt from 1909 to 1914 and was dedicated to Pharaonic Egypt. Under the direction of the Egyptologist Georg Steindorff , the mortuary temple of Chephren in Giza was uncovered. Sieglin also had the results of this expedition scientifically documented in a six-volume series of publications.
With a significant donation, Sieglin contributed to the financing of the excavation of the Asclepios shrine on the island of Kos, which the archaeologist Rudolf Herzog carried out between 1902 and 1904.
patron
Due to the common division of finds at the time and through the purchase of private collections, Ernst von Sieglin came into possession of a large collection of antique objects. He gave these away to various institutions:
- The archaeological collection of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen received important finds from pharaonic Egypt such as the burial chamber of Seschemnofers III .
- The Egyptian Collection of the University of Leipzig was given an important part of the excavation results.
- Numerous objects, especially from Greco-Roman Egypt, went to what is now the Württemberg State Museum as the Sieglin Collection .
- He bequeathed most of his Alexandrian excavations to the Albertinum in Dresden .
In 1904 Sieglin acquired a collection of over a hundred old Armenian manuscripts and book illuminations for 5000 rubles, which he gave to the Tübingen university library. He also donated the important vase collection of the archaeologist and art dealer Paul Arndt to the University of Tübingen . In 1911 Sieglin donated a Walcker organ to the Stuttgart Conservatory for Music .
Ida Herion
The dance teacher Ida Herion (1876–1959), a pioneer of modern expressive dance and supporter of the life reform movement , ran a dance school in Stuttgart from 1912 to 1954. In 1926 the art-loving Sieglins gave Ida Herion and the photographer, writer and actor Paul Isenfels (1888–1974) their garden at the Villa Weissenburg as a backdrop for a photo shoot. The young dancers, lightly clothed or naked, played in the tea house and the marble hall in expressive poses that were inspired by ancient models. Paul Isenfels published his photos in 1927 in the illustrated book “Danced Harmonies”.
family
Ernst von Sieglin's parents were the pharmacist Ernst Sieglin (1814–1855) and the pastor's daughter Mathilde Staub (1832–1895). He had 3 brothers:
- Hermann Sieglin (or Sieglin-Fehr, 1849–1923), professor of agriculture at the Hohenheim Agricultural University.
- Eugen Karl Sieglin (1851–1882), parish priest in Schwäbisch Hall.
- Wilhelm Sieglin (1855–1935), Professor of Historical Geography in Leipzig and Berlin.
Ernst von Sieglin married the violinist Alice Borchert (1872–1915), 24 years his junior in Berlin, in 1891, the daughter of a malt brewer and manor in Königsberg in East Prussia. The marriage resulted in 5 children, including Ernst Hermann Sieglin (1895–1984), managing director of Thompson-Werke GmbH in Düsseldorf, then chairman of the supervisory board of JC Eckardt AG in Stuttgart, and the businessman Erich Sieglin (1900–1928). Sieglin's wife Alice died in 1915 at the age of only 42.
Ernst von Sieglin, his wife and sons Ernst Hermann and Erich were buried in a family grave in the Prague cemetery in section 14.
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Ernst von Sieglin financed two large excavation projects in Egypt:
- 1898–1902: excavations in Alexandria,
- 1909–1914: excavations at various other locations in Egypt.
He had the results of the excavations published in two series of publications.
Ernst von Sieglin's expedition in Alexandria
From 1898–1902 the excavations of the "Expedition Ernst von Sieglin" took place in Alexandria under the direction of Theodor Schreiber . The excavation results should be documented in 3 volumes in the publication series "Expedition Ernst von Sieglin: Excavations in Alexandria". The editor was Ernst von Sieglin, who financed the project. Volume 1 appeared in 1908. Volume 2 was published in 3 parts, which appeared from 1913 to 1927. Ernst von Sieglin died in 1927 and Volume 3 was no longer produced.
- Expedition Ernst von Sieglin: excavations in Alexandria.
- Volume 1: The necropolis of Kôm-Esch-Schukâfa.
- Volume 2: The Greek-Egyptian Collection Ernst von Sieglin.
- Ernst von Sieglin (editor); Theodor Schreiber (editor); Rudolf Pagenstecher (editor): painting and sculpture. Expedition Ernst von Sieglin: Excavations in Alexandria, Volume 2.1A, pdf . Leipzig: Giesecke & Devrient, 1923.
- Ernst von Sieglin (editor); Theodor Schreiber (editor); Carl Watzinger (editor): painting and sculpture. Expedition Ernst von Sieglin: Excavations in Alexandria, Volume 2.1B, pdf . Leipzig: Giesecke & Devrient, 1927.
- Ernst von Sieglin (editor); Joseph Vogt (editor): The Greek-Egyptian collection Ernst von Sieglin, terracottas. Expedition Ernst von Sieglin: Excavations in Alexandria, Volume 2.2. Leipzig: Giesecke & Devrient, 1924.
- Ernst von Sieglin (editor); Rudolf Pagenstecher (editor): The vessels in stone and clay, bone carvings. Expedition Ernst von Sieglin: Excavations in Alexandria, Volume 2,3, pdf . Leipzig: Giesecke & Devrient, 1913.
- Volume 3 (announced, not published): Excavations in the royal quarter and in the Sarapeion of Alexandria.
Ernst von Sieglin's expedition in Egypt
1909–1914, the excavations of the "Expedition Ernst von Sieglin" took place at various locations in Egypt under the direction of Georg Steindorff . The excavation results were documented in 6 volumes in the publication series "Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Egypt". The editor was Ernst von Sieglin, who financed the project. The individual volumes appeared from 1912 to 1936.
- Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin expedition in Egypt.
- Uvo Hölscher : The grave monument of King Chephren. Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Egypt, Volume 1. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1912, pdf .
- Georg Steindorff : Das Grab des Ti. Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Aeggypt, Volume 2. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1913.
- Ludwig Borchardt : Ancient Egyptian fortresses on the second Nile rapids. Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Egypt, Volume 3. Leipzig: Harrassowitz, 1923, pdf .
- Hans Bonnet : An early historical burial ground near Abusir. Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Egypt, Volume 4. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1923.
- Walther Wolf : The beautiful feast of Opet. Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Egypt, Volume 5. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1931.
- Hans Steckeweh : The princely graves of Qâw. Publications of the Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Egypt, Volume 6. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1936.
Honors
- 1906: Honorary doctorate Dr. phil. hc from the University of Tübingen in recognition of Sieglin's research and donations.
- 1907: Appointment as the Württemberg Privy Councilor and bestowal of the nobility by King Wilhelm II.
- 1914: Honorary member of the German Archaeological Institute .
- 1925: A narrow green area in a hairpin curve of the Neue Weinsteige in Stuttgart is named Ernst-Sieglin-Platz ( location ). The green area is opposite the former location of Villa Weißenburg. In 1932–1934 a rectangular flat roof pavilion was built at the end of the square as an Ernst von Sieglin memorial. The back wall of the pavilion bears a bronze relief with Sieglin's portrait, which was created by the Stuttgart sculptor Karl Donndorf .
- 1927: Honorary Senator of the University of Tübingen.
- 2018: The lecture hall of the Institute for Classical Archeology at the University of Tübingen was named "Ernst von Sieglin lecture hall". Foundation of the Ernst von Sieglin Prize.
- Medal:
- Cross of Honor of the Order of the Württemberg Crown .
- Commander's Cross of the Saxon Order of Albrecht .
- Commander's Cross of the Swedish Wasa Order .
- Turkish Mecidiye Order .
- Officer of the Oldenburg House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig .
- Charlottenkreuz for his commitment to war welfare.
literature
Life
- Willi A. Boelcke: Millionaires in Württemberg: Origin - Rise - Traditions. With the facsimile print of the yearbook of the wealth and income of the millionaires in Württemberg with Hohenzollern by Rudolf Martin. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1997, page 111, 177
- J. Menno Harms (editor): Der Stuttgarter Bopser: houses, families, stories. Tübingen: Silberburg-Verlag, 2014, pages 125-131.
- Paul Isenfels: danced harmonies. With 120 artistic recordings, created by the author in conjunction with the Herion dance school in Stuttgart. Stuttgart: Dieck, 1927. - Without page counting.
- Heinrich Lang: Expert opinion on the Walcker organ in the Kgl. Conservatory for Music in Stuttgart. Heinrich Lang. Stuttgart, 1911, pdf .
- Ingrid Laube: Ernst von Sieglin - life and advancement as an entrepreneur. In: #Laube 2012 , pages 11-27.
- Nina Willburger: Sieglin, Ernst Wilhelm von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-428-11205-0 , p. 356 f. ( Digitized version ).
Expeditions and the Sieglin Collection
- Emma Brunner-Traut : The ancient Egyptian burial chamber of Seschemnofers III. from Gisa . Mainz 1982.
- Jutta Fischer: Greco-Roman terracottas from Egypt: the Sieglin and Schreiber collections, Dresden, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Tübingen. Tübingen: Wasmuth, 1994.
- Ingrid Laube: Sculpture of Hellenism and the Imperial Era from Egypt: Expedition Ernst von Sieglin; the collections in Dresden, Stuttgart and Tübingen. Munich: Hirmer, 2012.
- Nina Willburger : Evidence of Roman mummy decorations from Egypt. Ernst von Sieglin and his collection . In: Egyptian mummies. Immortality in the land of the pharaohs. Exhibition catalog Landesmuseum Württemberg Stuttgart, Mainz 2007, pp. 229–235.
Others
- Rudolf Herzog: Preliminary report on the archaeological expedition on the island of Kos in 1902. In: Yearbook of the Imperial German Archaeological Institute, Volume 18, 1903, Archäologischer Anzeiger, Number 1, Pages 1–13, here: 2, pdf .
- Rudolf Herzog: Preliminary report on the Koische expedition in 1903. In: Yearbook of the Imperial German Archaeological Institute, Volume 18, 1903, Archäologischer Anzeiger, Number 4, Pages 186–199, here: 186, pdf .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ #Laube 2012 , page 11.
- ↑ #Laube 2012 , page 14.
- ↑ #Laube 2012 , pp. 11–15.
- ↑ In 1914 Sieglin had a fortune of 12 million marks and an annual income of 1.6 million marks, which corresponded to 12th place in the list of millionaires in the Kingdom of Württemberg ( #Boelcke 1997 , page 111). His wealth corresponded to an amount of over 60 million euros and his annual income to an amount of 8 million euros, see purchasing power comparisons of historical amounts of money .
- ^ The unpublished excavation of the Ernst von Sieglin expedition in the Basileia of Alexandria .
- ↑ Johannes Schiess
- ↑ #Willburger 2010 .
- ↑ #Herzog 1903.1 , #Herzog 1903.2 .
- ↑ #Willburger 2010 .
- ↑ #Lang 1911 .
- ↑ #Isenfels 1927 .
- ↑ #Willburger 2010 .
- ↑ Classical archeology dedicates lecture hall to patron Ernst von Sieglin - new sponsorship award announced .
- ↑ #Laube 2012 , page 27.
- ↑ #Laube 2012 , page 17.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sieglin, Ernst von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sieglin, Ernst Wilhelm von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur and patron |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 21, 1848 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stuttgart |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 3, 1927 |
| Place of death | Stuttgart |