Album of designs for jewelry, gold and figurines

Rosenau & Co.|Anonymous, German, 20th century

ca. 1900–ca. 1910 · graphite, pen and black ink, pen and blue ink · Drawings and Prints

Album containing drawings of silversmiths' work and jewelry, each numbered and with sporadic indications of the materials used in the execution of the piece. In some cases, the designs were traced from another source. Several photographs found in other albums belonging to this same workshop show corresponding signs of tracing. In total nine albums from the firm of Rosenau & Co. are part of the collection. The firm was founded by Simon Rosenau (1839-1920) in 1862 and continued by his relation Simon Hermann Rosenau (1861-1943). Originating from Bad Kissingen, the Rosenau firm set up shops in Munich and Paris. In the 1920s, Simon Hermann was appointed court jeweler. He continued the business until the late 1920s or early 1930s when the political situation in Germany became untenable. The family fled from Munich in 1933 and took up permanent residence in Paris until the French capital was occupied. While they managed an escape to Nice, in 1943 they were apprehended and deported to Auschwitz where Simon Hermann and his wife Paula passed away.

Artist

Rosenau & Co.|Anonymous, German, 20th century

Date

ca. 1900–ca. 1910

Medium

graphite, pen and black ink, pen and blue ink

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, the Elisha Whittesley Fund, 1961