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Lot Essay
BARON MAXIMILIAN VON GOLDSCHMIDT-ROTHSCHILD
Baron Maximilian adopted the Rothschild name in 1901 after his father-in-law died, as Baron Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild (1828-1901) was the last male of the Frankfurt Rothschilds. Baron Maximilian, among his many business achievements, was a partner of the Frankfurt bank founded by his father, Benedikt Hayum Goldschmidt as well as being a partner with his sons of the Berlin bank A. Falkenberger (later Goldschmidt-Rothschild & Co.). Yet like many of his Rothschild in-laws, his true passion, and perhaps his most lasting legacy, was his collecting. While the collections of Baron Maximilian contained paintings by Rembrandt, Hals and other Dutch masters, it is the decorative arts, Limoges enamels, Italian maiolica, Meissen and Vienna porcelain and, above all, silver, that was the nucleus of his collection. On November 9-10, 1938, Germany was convulsed by a night of murder and mayhem, the Nazi-sanctioned Novemberpogrome, better known as Kristallnacht. The following day, November 11, Baron Maximilian was forced to ‘sell’ his entire collection to the City of Frankfurt. Grotesquely, the acting mayor of Frankfurt, Dr. Friedrich Krebs, claims to have ‘saved’ the collection from destruction by having the city take ownership of the collection. After the war, the heirs of Baron Maximilian requested the return of the collection, the 1938 forced sale was eventually voided and much of the collection was returned to the heirs of Baron Maximilian by February of 1949 (K. Weiler, 2019, note 7).
THE MODEL
Kändler began work on a model of a roller in August 1735. His work report for that month recorded: Eine Mandel Krähe angefangen Welche ins Königl. Balläis, gehörig an Welcher aber noch etwas zu fertigen übrig Verblieben [One Roller begun, which belongs to the Royal Bailiwick (the Japanese Palace), but of which there is still some work to be done](1). A few months later, in October, he worked on a model of a jay [Eichelhäher](2). The two models are similar in form, the principal obvious differences being the coloring of their plumage to distinguish them as different species. Between October 1739 and January 1740, Kändler reworked his earlier model of a roller out of work hours outside the manufactory. It is recorded as: 1 Mandel Grehe [Mandelkrähe], so auch auff einem grossen Ast sizet, und die Flügel von sich strecket, modelliret [1 Roller sitting modeled on a large branch with its wings outstretched](3). Johann Gottlieb Ehder’s work report for October 1739 records 13 models that he worked on, the second of which was: 1 Mandel Grahen Kopf [1 Roller Head](4). For an illustration of comparable examples of these slightly later models, see Gerhard Röbbig, Kabinettstücke, Die Meissener Porzellanvögel von Johann Joachim Kändler, Amira-Palais October-November 2006 Exhibition Catalogue, Munich, 2006, p. 97.
1. Cited by Ulrich Pietsch, Die Arbeitsberichte des Meissener Porzellanmodelleurs, Johann Joachim Kaendler, Leipzig, 2002, p. 33, no. 10. For an illustration of these models see Gerhard Röbbig, ibid., 2006, pp. 94-96, Kat. No. 5.
2. Cited by Pietsch, ibid., 2002, p. 34, no. 2. For an illustration of these see Carl Albiker, Die Meissener Porzellantiere im 18. Jahrhundert, Berlin, 1935, Taf. XXVIII, Nr. 106, 109, and Gerhard Röbbig, ibid., 2006, pp. 148-151, Kat. Nr. 29.
3. Cited by Pietsch, ibid., 2002, p. 67
4. Cited by Sarah-Katharina Andres-Acevedo, Die Autonomen Figürlichen Plastiken Johann Joachim Kaendlers und seiner Werkstatt, Stuttgart, 2023, vol. 2, p. 86, no. 190, and see vol. 1, p. 229 for the full entry.
Baron Maximilian adopted the Rothschild name in 1901 after his father-in-law died, as Baron Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild (1828-1901) was the last male of the Frankfurt Rothschilds. Baron Maximilian, among his many business achievements, was a partner of the Frankfurt bank founded by his father, Benedikt Hayum Goldschmidt as well as being a partner with his sons of the Berlin bank A. Falkenberger (later Goldschmidt-Rothschild & Co.). Yet like many of his Rothschild in-laws, his true passion, and perhaps his most lasting legacy, was his collecting. While the collections of Baron Maximilian contained paintings by Rembrandt, Hals and other Dutch masters, it is the decorative arts, Limoges enamels, Italian maiolica, Meissen and Vienna porcelain and, above all, silver, that was the nucleus of his collection. On November 9-10, 1938, Germany was convulsed by a night of murder and mayhem, the Nazi-sanctioned Novemberpogrome, better known as Kristallnacht. The following day, November 11, Baron Maximilian was forced to ‘sell’ his entire collection to the City of Frankfurt. Grotesquely, the acting mayor of Frankfurt, Dr. Friedrich Krebs, claims to have ‘saved’ the collection from destruction by having the city take ownership of the collection. After the war, the heirs of Baron Maximilian requested the return of the collection, the 1938 forced sale was eventually voided and much of the collection was returned to the heirs of Baron Maximilian by February of 1949 (K. Weiler, 2019, note 7).
THE MODEL
Kändler began work on a model of a roller in August 1735. His work report for that month recorded: Eine Mandel Krähe angefangen Welche ins Königl. Balläis, gehörig an Welcher aber noch etwas zu fertigen übrig Verblieben [One Roller begun, which belongs to the Royal Bailiwick (the Japanese Palace), but of which there is still some work to be done](1). A few months later, in October, he worked on a model of a jay [Eichelhäher](2). The two models are similar in form, the principal obvious differences being the coloring of their plumage to distinguish them as different species. Between October 1739 and January 1740, Kändler reworked his earlier model of a roller out of work hours outside the manufactory. It is recorded as: 1 Mandel Grehe [Mandelkrähe], so auch auff einem grossen Ast sizet, und die Flügel von sich strecket, modelliret [1 Roller sitting modeled on a large branch with its wings outstretched](3). Johann Gottlieb Ehder’s work report for October 1739 records 13 models that he worked on, the second of which was: 1 Mandel Grahen Kopf [1 Roller Head](4). For an illustration of comparable examples of these slightly later models, see Gerhard Röbbig, Kabinettstücke, Die Meissener Porzellanvögel von Johann Joachim Kändler, Amira-Palais October-November 2006 Exhibition Catalogue, Munich, 2006, p. 97.
1. Cited by Ulrich Pietsch, Die Arbeitsberichte des Meissener Porzellanmodelleurs, Johann Joachim Kaendler, Leipzig, 2002, p. 33, no. 10. For an illustration of these models see Gerhard Röbbig, ibid., 2006, pp. 94-96, Kat. No. 5.
2. Cited by Pietsch, ibid., 2002, p. 34, no. 2. For an illustration of these see Carl Albiker, Die Meissener Porzellantiere im 18. Jahrhundert, Berlin, 1935, Taf. XXVIII, Nr. 106, 109, and Gerhard Röbbig, ibid., 2006, pp. 148-151, Kat. Nr. 29.
3. Cited by Pietsch, ibid., 2002, p. 67
4. Cited by Sarah-Katharina Andres-Acevedo, Die Autonomen Figürlichen Plastiken Johann Joachim Kaendlers und seiner Werkstatt, Stuttgart, 2023, vol. 2, p. 86, no. 190, and see vol. 1, p. 229 for the full entry.