Ignaz of Ephrussi
Ignaz von Ephrussi or Ignaz Ritter von Ephrussi (born March 16, 1829 in Berditschew , † May 31, 1899 in Vienna ) was a Russian banker and art collector of Greek origin and Jewish faith. In 1872 he was raised to hereditary knighthood in Austria.
biography
In the 19th century he was one of the richest people in Austria with his bank Ephrussi & Co. During the construction of the Palais Ephrussi on Vienna's Ringstrasse in 1872/1873, he was able to convince the architect Theophil Hansen to plan the building as a multifunctional building, which was unusual for a palace; so the basement floors were rented out as business premises. As head of the widespread Ephrussi family and successful entrepreneur, he belonged to the Viennese " founding generation ".
His art collection was Aryanized in 1938 and sold after it was returned by the now impoverished family. A work by Cornelis Springer from his collection was auctioned in England in 2004.
Ignaz von Ephrussi died on May 31, 1899 in Vienna of a heart defect and was buried in the mausoleum of the Ephrussi family in the Old Israelite Department at the Vienna Central Cemetery .
Edmund de Waal wrote the novel The Hare with Amber Eyes in 2010 about his family history .
family
Ignaz von Ephrussi was the son of Karl Joachim (Efim) Ephrussi (1792–1864) and Bella Löwensohn (? -1841). He married Emilie Porges (1836–1900) on November 11, 1855. They had three children:
- Stephan Ritter von Ephrussi (1856–1911), bank director in Odessa , married Esther Rabinovich (1853–?) In London on August 10, 1881 ;
- Anna Isabella von Ephrussi (1859–1938), baptized May 27, 1889, married Paul Ritter Herz von Hertenried (1859–1908) in Vienna on June 25, 1889 ;
- Victor Ritter von Ephrussi (1860–1945), married Emmy Henrietta Freiin Schey von Koromla (1879–1938) in Vienna on March 7, 1899.
Ignaz von Ephrussi's younger brother, Moritz (Maurice Ephrussi, 1849–1916), married Béatrice de Rothschild (1864–1934), a member of the Rothschild banking family, in Paris on June 5, 1883 . From 1907 to 1912 she had the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild built on Cap Ferrat in the municipality of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat ( France ).
literature
-
Edmund de Waal : The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance . Chatto & Windus, London 2010, ISBN 978-0-7011-8417-9 . (English)
- German: The hare with the amber eyes - The hidden legacy of the Ephrussi family. Translated by Brigitte Hilzensauer. Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-552-05556-8 .
Web links
- Ignaz von Ephrussi in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ephrussi, Ignaz von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ephrussi, Ignaz Ritter von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greek banker and art collector |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 16, 1829 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berditchev |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 31, 1899 |
| Place of death | Vienna |