Maurice Ephrussi
Encyclopedia
Maurice Ephrussi was a French
banker who also bred and raced Thoroughbred
s.
A member of the Ephrussi family
, Maurice Ephrussi was born in the free port
of Odessa
where his father founded the Ephrussi Bank and was involved in the business of exporting wheat
. Trained in the banking business, Maurice Ephrussi's elder half-brother, Ignaz, was sent to Vienna
to open the Ephrussi & Co. bank while Maurice and his older brother Michel
were sent to open a branch in Paris
, France
.
Through Banque Ephrussi's activities involving the Rothschild family's oil
business in the Baku
area of present-day Azerbaijan
Maurice Ephrussi met Béatrice de Rothschild
. She was the daughter of Alphonse de Rothschild
, a head of the wealthy and powerful Rothschild banking family of France
. Maurice Ephrussi and Béatrice de Rothschild were married in Paris on June 5, 1883. They maintained a home in Paris, a villa in Monte Carlo
called "Rose de France," and in the early 1900s built Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
.
Maurice and Béatrice Ephrussi were avid art
collectors and his cousin, Charles Ephrussi
, proprietor of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts
in Paris, was a patron of the Impressionists
.
. Maurice owned Haras du Gazon, a breeding
farm in Bazoches-au-Houlme
, Orne
, Normandy
where he bred the outstanding runner and champion sire, Perth. Perth's sire was the Ephrussi stallion War Dance who also sired the brilliant filly, Roxelane.
In the 1860s, Maurice Ephrussi had acquired Château de Reux near Reux
, Calvados
located about 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) northeast of Haras du Gazon.
Horses raced by Maurice Ephrussi won a number of important races in France and England including the:
Haras du Gazon was later purchased by American horseman, Herman B. Duryea
.
Maurice Ephrussi died in 1916. His widow lived the rest of her life at their residence in Monte Carlo where she died in 1934.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
banker who also bred and raced Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
s.
A member of the Ephrussi family
Ephrussi family
The Ephrussi family were a Jewish banking and oil dynasty who originated in Odessa, Ukraine. The family were elevated to the nobility by the Habsburg emperor. The family controlled large-scale oil resources in the Crimea and the Caucasus. They had made their initial fortune controlling grain...
, Maurice Ephrussi was born in the free port
Free port
A free port or free zone , sometimes also called a bonded area is a port, port area or other area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location...
of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
where his father founded the Ephrussi Bank and was involved in the business of exporting wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
. Trained in the banking business, Maurice Ephrussi's elder half-brother, Ignaz, was sent to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to open the Ephrussi & Co. bank while Maurice and his older brother Michel
Michel Ephrussi
Michel Ephrussi was a Russian-born French banker who also bred and raced Thoroughbreds.A member of the Russian-Jewish Ephrussi family, Michel was born in the free port of Odessa where his father founded the Ephrussi Bank and was involved in the exporting of wheat...
were sent to open a branch in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Through Banque Ephrussi's activities involving the Rothschild family's oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
business in the Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
area of present-day Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
Maurice Ephrussi met Béatrice de Rothschild
Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
Charlotte Béatrice de Rothschild was a French socialite, art collector, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.- Biography :...
. She was the daughter of Alphonse de Rothschild
Alphonse James de Rothschild
Mayer Alphonse James Rothschild , was a French, financier, vineyard owner, art collector, philanthropist, racehorse owner/breeder and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.-Biography:...
, a head of the wealthy and powerful Rothschild banking family of France
Rothschild banking family of France
The Rothschild banking family of France was founded in 1812 in Paris by James Mayer Rothschild . James was sent there from his home in Frankfurt, Germany by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild...
. Maurice Ephrussi and Béatrice de Rothschild were married in Paris on June 5, 1883. They maintained a home in Paris, a villa in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
called "Rose de France," and in the early 1900s built Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a French seaside palazzo constructed between 1905 and 1912 at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera by Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild in the Goût Rothschild. It was designed by the Belgian architect Aaron Messiah...
at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat , Italian: San Giovanni Capo Ferrato, is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It is located on a peninsula next to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and to Villefranche-sur-Mer and extends out to Cap Ferrat...
.
Maurice and Béatrice Ephrussi were avid art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
collectors and his cousin, Charles Ephrussi
Charles Ephrussi
Charles Ephrussi was a Russian critic, art historian, and art collector. He also was a part-owner and then editor as well as a contributor to the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, the most important art historical periodical in France...
, proprietor of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts
Gazette des Beaux-Arts
The Gazette des Beaux-Arts was a French art review, found in 1859 by Édouard Houssaye, with Charles Blanc as its first chief editor. It was a world reference work on art history for nearly 100 years - one other editor in chief, from 1955 to 1987, was Jean Adhémar...
in Paris, was a patron of the Impressionists
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
.
Haras du Gazon
Maurice Ephrussi and his brother Michel were both involved in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racingHorse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Maurice owned Haras du Gazon, a breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
farm in Bazoches-au-Houlme
Bazoches-au-Houlme
Bazoches-au-Houlme is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
, Orne
Orne
Orne is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.- History :Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.- Geography :Orne is in the region of...
, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
where he bred the outstanding runner and champion sire, Perth. Perth's sire was the Ephrussi stallion War Dance who also sired the brilliant filly, Roxelane.
In the 1860s, Maurice Ephrussi had acquired Château de Reux near Reux
Reux
-External links:*...
, Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
located about 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) northeast of Haras du Gazon.
Horses raced by Maurice Ephrussi won a number of important races in France and England including the:
- Cambridgeshire HandicapCambridgeshire HandicapThe Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event...
- (1) - Alicante (1907) - La CoupeLa CoupeLa Coupe is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
- (1) - Bariolet (1882) - Prix de la ForêtPrix de la ForêtThe Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.-History:The race was established in 1858,...
- (2) - Seymour (1879) Alicante (1889) - Prix du CadranPrix du CadranThe Prix du Cadran is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 4,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October....
- (1) - Bariolet (1882) - Prix du Jockey ClubPrix du Jockey ClubThe Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
- (1) - Mordant (1907) - Prix GladiateurPrix GladiateurThe Prix Gladiateur is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
- (1) - Bariolet (1882) - Prix du NabobPrix NoaillesThe Prix Noailles is a Group 2 flat horse race in France which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.-History:...
- (2) - Alicante (1890), Chapeau Chinois (1893) - Prix Royal-OakPrix Royal-OakThe Prix Royal-Oak is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October.-History:The event was established in 1861, and it was initially...
- (1) - Alicante (1890) - Prix Jean PratPrix Vicomtesse VigierThe Prix Vicomtesse Vigier is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
- (1) - Alicante (1891)
Haras du Gazon was later purchased by American horseman, Herman B. Duryea
Herman B. Duryea
Herman L. B. Duryea was an American Thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.Herman Duryea built an estate in Old Westbury on Long Island, New York known as "Knole". Completed in 1903, it was designed by Carrere and Hastings...
.
Maurice Ephrussi died in 1916. His widow lived the rest of her life at their residence in Monte Carlo where she died in 1934.