The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-01-22
CByi La Marquise de Fontenoy)

= CByi La Marquise de Fontenoy)
It is~at the4instance of the German
Government that the Oppenheim
family have decided upon holding the
sale of the magnificent and world
famed collection of paintings formed
by the late Baron Albert Oppenheim
in the third week of next March at
Berlin. 1t had-been originally decided
to delay the sale until after the re-
storation of peace, so as to admit of
the presence of buyers from Great
Britain, from the United States, from
France and from Russia. But EN-
peror William has brought much pres
sure to bear on the Oppenheim fam
lily on the ground that the war will
not prevent American, English,
French and Russian buyers being re-
presented at the sale at Berlin by
Dutch, Scandinavian and Swiss agents,
and that the large sums which they
pay for their purchases will be SO
much money brought into Germany.
The pictures thus disposed of can be
shipped without difficulty to neutral
countries, to remain there in safety
until the conclusion of the war or else
to be brought to their destination I'M
der special permits from the Entente
Powers more Immediately concerned.
That is the true reason for the
otherwise inexplicable choice of next
March for the sale of the Baron Al
bert Oppenheim collection, the cata-
logue of which, compiled, unless [ am
mistaken, by DR.. Bode, the German
picture expert and head of the Art
NJ,
pieces of Rubens, Vandyke, Rem
brandt, Franz Halls, Hobbema, Piter
de Hooch &C. Indeed, before the war
it was acknowledged to be the fin
est collection of the old Flemish and
Dutch schools in existence. Several Of
the paintings were disposed of singly
before the war, notably one or two
masterpieces of Petrus Cristus and OF
Derrick, two of which are in the Met
ropolitan Museum of Art in New
York.
The late Baron Albert Oppenheim
who was one of the pillars of the Ger
man turf, devoted all his life and mil.
lions of the money acquired through
the revenues from his great interna-
tional banking house of Oppenheim al
: Cologne to the clever buying of ole
masters. The only remaining son o.
the founder of the firm, he was, like
most of the members Of his family, {
Roman Catholic, the others beint
Lutherans. all having abandoned the
religion of their ancestors.
The present head of the family anC
firm is Baron AlbertS nephew, Baro1
Simon Oppenheim, married to al
American woman, Miss Florence Mat
thews Hutchins of New York. Hi
sisters have all married into the Ger
man aristocracy, Ada being the wifi
of Count Gisbert Won Bredow, Emm;
the consort of Count Macmillan vol
Arco- Valley, Victoria the wife of Bar
on Alexander Won Frankenberg, Will
Eta is married to Baron Adolf Vol
Hammerstein.
1t is cousin of Baron Simon OPP
penheim, Baron Max Oppenhein
who was such frequent visitor to tn
United States before the war. Attach
ed to the German Legation, at Cairo
and owing his rank IN the diplo
matte service stH theAgrgood will c
Prince Clovis HoheHf6he when tn
latter was Chancellor Of the empire
Max Oppenheim was for a time
on account of his really remarkably
explorations and antiquarian discoN
cries in Mesopotamia, but also in cor
nection with charges brought again
him of having fomented Moslem ag
tation throughout Northern Afric
against France and Great Britain.
fact, Max Oppenheim was a sourC
of no end of trouble to the BIRTHS
authorities in Egypt owing to his il
trigues among the natives against IL
English until the outbreak of the W;
enabled them to expel him.
The grandfather OF Baron Simo
the present head of the house, nam
", old Baron Edward Oppenhelr
was not only a very shrewd financie
but also possessed a certain sense
humor, and was never tired OF ma
ing fun of those newly ennobled b
rons and counts of financial antec
IA dents who on receiving their It'll
preferred to drop their patronym
and to use. only the additional nan
granted Herewith in their patent
nobility. Thus man of the name
Muller on being ennobled would
accorded the additional name of W
Frankenberg - Frankenberg bel
probably the name of his country Sc;
Inzlaw he could not use. the 1att
name, which was purely of a, decor
tiveEorder, 5sswith out his patronym