Yvonne Alix Hackenbroch (1912–2012), was a British museum curator and historian of jewellery.

Early life

Yvonne Alix Hackenbroch was born in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany, on 27 April 1912, the second of three daughters of the art dealer Zacharias Max Hackenbroch (1884–1937) and his wife, Clementine Hackenbroch, née Schwarzschild (1888–1984), a descendant of art dealer

Selig Goldschmidt Selig may refer to: *Selig (name) *Selig (band), a Hamburg-based German grunge band *Selig, Ohio, a community in the United States *Selig Polyscope Company, an American motion picture company founded by William Selig See also

*Zelig (disambig ...

. Whilst still a child, Hackenbroch was fluent in French, English, German, and Italian. Hackenbroch was educated at the

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...

, and earned an undergraduate degree and a doctorate, both in the history of art. She was the last Jew to earn a PhD there before the Second World War, in December 1936.

Career

On arriving in London, Hackenbroch soon joined the staff at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, and was one of those who excavated and catalogued the Sutton Hoo treasure. She was the jewellery adviser to the 1944 film of ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...

'', starring

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

. From 1946 to 1949, Hackenbroch was based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, at the behest of the UK government, to provide expert advice on the Lee Collection of Renaissance art given to Canada by

Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham Arthur Hamilton Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham, (8 November 1868 – 21 July 1947), was an English soldier, diplomat, politician, philanthropist and patron of the arts. After military postings and an assignment to the British Embassy in Wash ...

, to thank the country for its World War II support. In about 1949, she moved to the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York to catalogue the "immense art collection" of Irwin Untermyer. This led to Hackenbroch and Thames & Hudson publishing seven books, covering antique silver, bronze, porcelain, needlework and furniture. She joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a curator, specialising in Renaissance Art, and eventually became an American citizen.

Selected publications

* ''Renaissance Jewellery'' (1979)

Personal life

She never married.

Later life

Hackenbroch died on 7 September 2012, in her flat at 31

Hyde Park Gardens Hyde Park Gardens, also known as Hyde Park Terrace consists of two roads running adjacent to the north western corner of Hyde Park, Westminster, Greater London. Number 1 Hyde Park Gardens runs up to Number 23 with a large private communal garde ...

, Bayswater, London, four months after celebrating her 100th birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackenbroch, Yvonne 1912 births 2012 deaths British curators British women curators People from Frankfurt Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni British centenarians People associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art British women writers Jewish women writers Women centenarians Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom