Baron Ignace von Ephrussi (1829–1899) was a Russian-born Austrian banker and diplomat. He was the head of Ephrussi & Co. in Vienna, Austria.

Early life

Ignace von Ephrussi was born in 1829 in

Berdychiv Berdychiv ( uk, Берди́чів, ; pl, Berdyczów; yi, באַרדיטשעװ, Barditshev; russian: Берди́чев, Berdichev) is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(now

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). His father was

Charles Joachim Ephrussi Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

and his mother, Belle Levensohn. He had a brother, Leon Ephrussi. Their mother died in 1841. After his father married his second wife, Henriette Halperson. He had two half-brothers,

Michel Ephrussi Michel Ephrussi (May 10, 1844 – January 5, 1914) was a Russian-born French banker who also bred and raced Thoroughbreds. Early life Michel Ephrussi was born on May 10, 1844, in Odessa, Ukraine. He was a member of the Ephrussi family. His ...

and

Maurice Ephrussi Maurice Ephrussi (18 November 1849 – 29 October 1916) was a French banker and horsebreeder. Early life Maurice Ephrussi was born on November 18, 1849, in Odessa, Russian Empire. He was a member of the Ephrussi family. His father, Charles Joac ...

, and two half-sisters, Therese (who married Leon Fould) and Marie (who married Guy de Percin).

Career

Ephrussi was the head of Ephrussi & Co., his family bank, in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. He was "the second-richest banker in Vienna." Ephurris was ennobled by the Emperor of Austria,

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

, and he held the title of Baron. He served as Honorary Consul to the King of Sweden and Norway. He was a Knight of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

Personal life

Ephrussi married Emily Porges. They had two sons and a daughter. They resided at the

Palais Ephrussi ''Palais Ephrussi'' is a former ''Ringstraßenpalais'' in Vienna. It was built for the Ephrussi family of financiers by Theophil Freiherr von Hansen, the architect of the Austrian Parliament Building. It is on the Ringstrasse, specifically the ...

, built for them and completed in 1869.

Death and legacy

Ephrussi died in 1899 in Vienna, Austria. His great-great-grandson,

Edmund de Waal Edmund Arthur Lowndes de Waal, (born 10 September 1964) is a contemporary English artist, master potter and author. He is known for his large-scale installations of porcelain vessels often created in response to collections and archives or th ...

, is a British ceramicist and the author of '' The Hare with the Amber Eyes'', a 2010 memoir about his family, including Ignace.

References

1829 births 1899 deaths Emigrants from the Russian Empire Bankers from Austria-Hungary People from Berdychiv Businesspeople from Vienna Austrian bankers Ignace von 19th-century Ukrainian Jews 19th-century Ukrainian people 19th-century Austrian businesspeople Odesa Jews {{Austria-bio-stub