Jacques Rosenthal

Jacques Rosenthal
Jacques Rosenthal
Born	Jakob Rosenthal; Template:Birth date; Fellheim, Germany
Died	October 5, 1937 (aged 83); Munich, Germany
Occupation(s)	Bookseller, antiquarian
Known for	Specializing in rare books; founder of Rosenthal Antiquariat in Munich

Jacques Rosenthal (originally Jakob Rosenthal; born July 17, 1854, in Fellheim; died October 5, 1937, in Munich) was a German-Jewish bookseller and antiquarian specializing in rare books.

Life

Jakob was the youngest child of Joseph Rosenthal, a market trader, and his wife Dorlene (née Bacharach). His father operated a shop dealing in art and antiques in Fellheim. Following the 1867 repeal of restrictions on Jewish citizens, the family relocated to Munich. There, Jakob acquired proficiency in English and French. He completed his apprenticeship as an antiquarian bookseller within the business run by his brother Ludwig Rosenthal. Subsequently, he gained experience working at Ernst Carlebach’s establishment in Heidelberg and later in Karlsruhe before returning to join Ludwig’s firm as a junior partner alongside his brother Nathan in 1874.

Paris

In 1878, Jacques traveled to Paris representing the family enterprise, forging relationships with leading booksellers such as Léopold Victor Delisle and Emile Chatellain. At this time, he adopted the name Jacques instead of Jakob. Among his notable acquisitions were a manuscript sent by Frederick the Great to Voltaire and the "Evangelium Prumense," which he secured for the Berlin National Library. The Rosenthal siblings maintained close connections with the Bavarian royal court under King Ludwig II.

Rosenthal Antiquariat in Munich

On December 21, 1882, Jacques married Emma Guggenheimer, daughter of Simon Guggenheimer, a Munich-based wholesaler; they had two children named Theodora and Erwin. Members of the Guggenheimer family were involved in banking through Guggenheimer & Co. Jacques obtained Munich citizenship in 1888. After parting ways with his brothers in 1895, he established his own antiquarian bookshop specializing in books and art at Karlstraße 10. Between 1909 and 1911, he constructed a villa at Brienner Straße 47 that served as both his home and place of business.

The outbreak of World War I adversely affected sales; however, during the late Weimar Republic period, the antiquarian book trade experienced renewed growth as monasteries and aristocratic estates across Bavaria and Austria sold valuable collections. Jacques’s son Erwin expanded the firm by opening branches in Berlin and Lugano (which later moved to Zurich) by 1929.

Jacques suffered a stroke toward the end of 1932.

Nazi era

With Hitler’s ascent to power in 1933, the Rosenthal family endured persecution due to their Jewish background. Their business was subjected to boycotts, discrimination, and professional prohibitions. As a result, Jacques was compelled to enter into a silent partnership with competitor Georg Karl. In July 1935, their city residence at Brienner Straße 47 was sold; this building was subsequently damaged during Allied bombing raids on Munich. The antiquarian bookshop was relocated to Konradstraße 16. Jacques resided with his wife at the Regina-Palast-Hotel until his passing.

Jacques Rosenthal died on October 5, 1937, at Hotel Regina in Munich and was interred in the Old Israelite Cemetery.

Erwin Joseph Rosenthal fathered Bernard M. Rosenthal (1920–2017), an antiquarian based in the United States; Albi Rosenthal (1914–2004), a British expert on music antiquities and musicologist; and Gabriella Rosenthal (1913–1975), an Israeli artist known for painting, caricature, and writing.

Restitution of Nazi-looted art

The Münchner Stadtmuseum returned to Rosenthal’s descendants a late medieval apostle figure that had been purchased at an auction held by Adolf Weinmüller on December 2, 1938.

Publications

Grolier's Library: On Its Composition and Its Gaps. Published in Philobiblon, Volume 6 (1933), Issue 6, pages 200–214.

Honors, Awards, and Honorary Appointments

Royal Prussian Crown Order, 4th Class
Order of Academic Palms
Benemerenti Medal, conferred by Pope Pius XI in 1927
Royal Bavarian Court Antiquarian
Royal Prussian Court Antiquarian

Bibliography

Fellheim on the Iller: An Illustrated Tour Through the Former Jewish Quarter of Fellheim, edited by the Working Group for History, Customs, and Chronicle (2007).
Munich City Archives (ed.), The Rosenthals: The Rise of a Jewish Antiquarian Family to Worldwide Prominence. Böhlau, 2002.
Bernard M. Rosenthal: Cartel, Clan, or Dynasty? The Olschki and Rosenthal Families from 1859 to 1976. In: Harvard Library Bulletin 25, no. 4 (1977), pp. 386–397.
Anton Löffelmeier, Michael Stephan: The Business and Family Archive of Jacques Rosenthal at the Munich City Archives. In: Barbara Magen (ed.): Essays in Honor of Alfred Grimm, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2018, pp. 213–224.

External Resources

Sources