Sassoons at The Jewish Museum

By Lorraine Bertan Cultural Affairs Committee

The current exhibition of the fabulously wealthy and accomplished Jewish family, the Sassoons, follows their lives and possessions through the 19 th century through the end of World War II. Five rooms display the grand homes, art, and Judaica acquired by the family, and notebooks describing the collections are provided for the visitor.

The most well-known member of the Sassoon family was David, born in 1792 in Baghdad, then part of the Ottoman Empire. The Jews of Baghdad had lived there for over 1,000 years and numbered 7,000 in a population of 50,000. The family was involved in trading and collecting taxes, making them unpopular and subject to antisemitism, eventually relocating to Mumbai in 1829. They traded in cotton, tea, textiles, and opium, which was extremely lucrative. The British had colonized India then, and the Sassoons chose to ally themselves with the British Raj.

David Sassoon died in 1864, and the family business had become a global enterprise, extending to China, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. As custom dictated, the eldest son of David, Abdullah, became head of the family and moved his family and businesses to London, and the other sons followed.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 allowed the family to utilize its connections in India, China, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The mercantile and financial business prospered, and because of its success and the family’s contributions to the London financial world, Abdullah was elevated to a knighthood in 1872. His anglicized his name to Lord Albert, and the family became part of the nobility and elected office.

Their magnificent art collections and impressive mansions provided entry to the Royal Family. The exhibition shows the exchange of gifts and visits between the Sassoons and Queen Mary.

In 1887, Edward Sassoon, grandson of Sir Albert Sassoon, married Aline Caroline de Rothschild, bringing two powerful and wealthy families together, and the exhibit includes a painting of Aline by John Singer Sargeant. John Singer Sergeant was the painter whose exquisite portrayals of the Sassoon women have been highlighted in museums and private collections and are a high point of the exhibit. He was a close friend and remained with the family through World War I.

The son and daughter of Edward Sassoon, Philip, and Sybil, became patrons of artists and architects. Philip had three magnificent homes, Park Lane in London, Trent Park, a villa in north London, and Port Lympne, a country estate in Kent. He enjoyed decorating his homes, filling them with great art and furnishings which were so compelling that famous artists painted them, including a well-known amateur painter, Winston Churchill, a frequent guest.

Philip’s sister, Sybil, married the Marquess of Cholmondeley in 1913 and restored his family home, Houghton Hall, in Norfolk. She and her husband acquired an extensive art collection and expanded the gardens to restore Houghton Hall to its role as one of the Great Houses. She was an elegant hostess and became Chief Staff Officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service from 1939-1946. The Sassoon family had always contributed to Jewish causes, social, educational, and cultural.

The exhibit has an impressive collection of Jewish ceremonial art and books, including a Passover Haggadah, which follows the Baghdadi rite, including Hebrew text and translation into Judeo-Arabic, Arabic using Hebrew script. With Sir Victor Sassoon’s help, The Baghdadi Jewish Community raised money to shelter Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II.

The Sassoons served in the British military with Sir Edward Sassoon as a British officer. Sigfried Sassoon was a cousin of Philip Sassoon and served in the British army during World War I and saw action in France. Having seen so much destruction and death during his service, he became a poet whose work reflected his anti-war feelings. The British War Memorials Committee invited John Singer Sergeant to create paintings that would show how the cooperation of the Anglo-American troops, almost like a war correspondent. His paintings in the exhibit show the horrors of the war, the results of a gas attack.

The beauty of the exhibit reflects the wealth and taste of the Sassoons. It also describes the opium trading and the mercantile and financial achievements and respect for the charitable efforts of this fascinating Jewish family.

The Sassoons runs until Sunday, August 13ust at The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave & East 92 St., (212) 4233100. Days and Hours: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:00 am–6:00 pm all other days.