Nathaniel Mayer von Rothschild (26 October 1836 – 16 June 1905) was a member of the
Rothschild banking family of Austria, known as art collector and
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
.
Life
Born in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, he was the fifth child and first son of
Anselm von Rothschild (1803–1874) and his wife Charlotte von Rothschild (1807–1859). His grandfather
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild (1774–1855), a native from
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, had founded the Viennese
S M von Rothschild banking house in 1820, continued as the
Creditanstalt by his father.
Nathaniel as the eldest male was expected to take over the running of the family's Austrian banking business. He studied at
Brünn
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
but fell out of favour with his father who considered him extravagant and financially irresponsible. Rather than going into business, Nathaniel spent his life as a
socialite
A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...
who built mansions and collected works of art.

From 1872 to 1884, he had the
Palais Nathaniel Rothschild erected at 14-16 Theresianumgasse in Vienna-
Wieden in a lavish ''
Ringstraße
The Ringstrasse or Ringstraße (pronounced Help:IPA/Standard German, �ɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə:File:De-Ringstraße.ogg, ⓘ, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, ...
'' style inspired by
French Renaissance architecture. He himself lived alone in a small apartment, while in various parts of the building his large collection of art was on display. The palais was badly damaged by the
bombing of Vienna in World War II and afterwards demolished.
In 1880, he purchased
Enzesfeld Castle with its vast property from the Counts of
Schönburg-Hartenstein. He also had Hinterleiten Palace in
Reichenau an der Rax
Reichenau an der Rax is a market town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, situated at the foot of the Rax mountain range on the ''Schwarza (Leitha), Schwarza'' river, a headstream of the Leitha.
History
Reichenau castle was first mentioned ...
erected in a
Louis XIII style from 1884. The picturesque Reichenau area had become easily accessible from Vienna by the opening of the
Southern Railway line and evolved into a popular retreat of the Viennese society, among them Habsburg
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria who had
Villa Wartholz
The Villa Wartholz or Castle Wartholz is a former imperial villa in Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria.
History
Villa Wartholz was designed by Heinrich von Ferstel in the historicist style in the years 1870 to 1872 for Archduke Karl Ludw ...
built nearby. Nevertheless, Nathaniel Rothschild only spent two years at his palace before he placed it at the disposal of the
Ministry of War to use it as a convalescent home for veterans.
On his father's death in 1874, Nathaniel and his brother
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
(1839–1898), owner of
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a English country house, country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by the National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation, it is one of the National Trust's most visited properties, ...
, inherited most of the family's property and art collection. The family business went to the youngest brother
Albert (1844–1911), who successfully carried on the financial empire.
Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild died a bachelor in 1905. He is buried in the
Zentralfriedhof, Vienna.
References
* See the list of references at
Rothschild banking family of Austria
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothschild, Nathaniel Anselm von
Philanthropists from Vienna
Austrian art collectors
People from Austria-Hungary
Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery
Nathaniel Anselm
Austrian Jews
LGBTQ nobility
1836 births
1905 deaths