R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family's Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis on + 1452 more book reviews
This is a story like few I have read. It begins after the death of Simon and Nick Goodman's father. Several boxes emerge holding detailed documents about artwork, silver and other valuables originally in a family collection, missing for years. The two knew that their parents were part of a German Jewish banking dynasty but their father had said little about the family and what happened to them. Even the name was different.
The Gutmanns were one of Germany's most powerful banking families until the Nazis took over. They gathered an art collection including works by Degas, Renoir, Botticelli, Guardi, and many others. A uniquely precious item was a priceless four-hundred-year-old Orpheus Clock, one of a kind, for which the book is named. Hitler and Hermann Goring claimed many pieces. Others, smuggled by dealers, appeared in museums throughout the world. Allied forces recovered even more confiscated by European governments.
Painfully personal and incredibly expensive, the two continued their father's work tracking the collection. Using supporting purchase documents and pictures, many pieces have been retrieved, including the Orpheus Clock. Tales about reclaiming items are unique and fascinating. A bonus of the search is that Simon uncovered precious family history that is related here.
In short, this is about a family that lost all - wealth, social status, even earthly belongings, and some, like their grandparents, their lives. As the story unravels, Simon learns more and more about the family history. Driven by his passion to claim what he can of the family past, Simon continues the work. His passion literally rises off the pages to envelope the reader in this search. Once again we are reminded of what can happen in a world gone mad when one man recruits others of like minds to warp what is by stripping on element of society of their livelihood and their humanity. In this case, millions of Jew
The Gutmanns were one of Germany's most powerful banking families until the Nazis took over. They gathered an art collection including works by Degas, Renoir, Botticelli, Guardi, and many others. A uniquely precious item was a priceless four-hundred-year-old Orpheus Clock, one of a kind, for which the book is named. Hitler and Hermann Goring claimed many pieces. Others, smuggled by dealers, appeared in museums throughout the world. Allied forces recovered even more confiscated by European governments.
Painfully personal and incredibly expensive, the two continued their father's work tracking the collection. Using supporting purchase documents and pictures, many pieces have been retrieved, including the Orpheus Clock. Tales about reclaiming items are unique and fascinating. A bonus of the search is that Simon uncovered precious family history that is related here.
In short, this is about a family that lost all - wealth, social status, even earthly belongings, and some, like their grandparents, their lives. As the story unravels, Simon learns more and more about the family history. Driven by his passion to claim what he can of the family past, Simon continues the work. His passion literally rises off the pages to envelope the reader in this search. Once again we are reminded of what can happen in a world gone mad when one man recruits others of like minds to warp what is by stripping on element of society of their livelihood and their humanity. In this case, millions of Jew
