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Lot Essay
The present set of Los Proverbios and the set of Desastres de la Guerra offered in the previous lot come from the collection of the heirs of Joseph Wilhelm Drexel (1833–1888), successful banker and philanthropist of the American Gilded Age, and his wife Lucy Wharton (1841-1912). Joseph, like Lucy native to Philadelphia, was the son of Francis Martin, founder of the merchant bank Drexel & Co., with branches in Chicago, San Francisco and New York. Joseph was sent to manage the New York branch, where he met the young apprentice John Pierpont Morgan – who a few years later, in 1871, entered into a new partnership with Joseph’s brother Anthony, founding the company Drexel, Morgan & Co. (later J.P. Morgan & Co.).
At this point, Joseph could disengage from most of his professional commitments (only maintaining the partnership of Drexel & Co., Barings Bank and Rothschilds et Fils) and dedicate his life to philanthropy and the arts: he donated generous sums to many charities, often anonymously due to his belonging to the Ethical Culture Society; he had two farms, one near New York and one in New Jersey, where job-seekers would be fed, clothed and taught agriculture until a job was found for them.
His love for the arts and patronage can be measured by his deeds and voluntary positions: President of the Philharmonic Society, Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Director of the Metropolitan Opera House; he was a key figure in bringing the Statue of Liberty to the USA; upon his death, his collection of musical literature was donated to the Lenox Library, which together with other collections eventually laid the foundation for the New York Public Library: his extraordinary gift became the basis for the Music Division of the Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, where his sculpted bust by John Quincy Adams Ward can be seen today.
In 1865 Joseph married Lucy Wharton, and the present sets of Goya's prints were purchased by the couple during their honeymoon voyage to Europe. Their bookplates can be found in the volumes' inner front boards, together with that of Josephine (1878-1966), one of their four daughters and late grandmother of the present owners.
At this point, Joseph could disengage from most of his professional commitments (only maintaining the partnership of Drexel & Co., Barings Bank and Rothschilds et Fils) and dedicate his life to philanthropy and the arts: he donated generous sums to many charities, often anonymously due to his belonging to the Ethical Culture Society; he had two farms, one near New York and one in New Jersey, where job-seekers would be fed, clothed and taught agriculture until a job was found for them.
His love for the arts and patronage can be measured by his deeds and voluntary positions: President of the Philharmonic Society, Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Director of the Metropolitan Opera House; he was a key figure in bringing the Statue of Liberty to the USA; upon his death, his collection of musical literature was donated to the Lenox Library, which together with other collections eventually laid the foundation for the New York Public Library: his extraordinary gift became the basis for the Music Division of the Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, where his sculpted bust by John Quincy Adams Ward can be seen today.
In 1865 Joseph married Lucy Wharton, and the present sets of Goya's prints were purchased by the couple during their honeymoon voyage to Europe. Their bookplates can be found in the volumes' inner front boards, together with that of Josephine (1878-1966), one of their four daughters and late grandmother of the present owners.