Subseries 3: Aurora Trust, 1915-2008, bulk: 1941-2002

Subseries 3: Aurora Trust, 1915-2008 (bulk: 1941-2002) documents the work of Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc. and Stiebel, Ltd. in administering the art collection of Catalina von Pannwitz and her heirs. Catalina von Pannwitz was an art collector in Germany and the Netherlands. Her vast collection of Old Master paintings, porcelains, furniture, bronzes, jewelry, and decorative objects was stored in the Netherlands during World War II. After the war, von Pannwitz worked with Saemy Rosenberg to inventory her collection, establish the Aurora Trust to oversee financial and legal matters related to the collection, and export most of the collection to New York for storage and sale by Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc., beginning in 1951. Portions of the collection remained in Holland, and others were sent to von Pannwitz’s home in Argentina.

Following Catalina von Pannwitz’s death in 1959, her daughter Ursula, Countess of Chichester, inherited the art collection, which continued to be administered by the Aurora Trust and sold through Rosenberg & Stiebel. Some artworks were sent to the Chichester home in England in the early 1960s, and additional objects were acquired through the firm until the Countess’s death in 1989.

Files are arranged alphabetically by correspondent or subject and contain correspondence, inventories, appraisals, shipping and insurance documents, documentation of consignments and sales, loan agreements, and photographs. Most documents are in English, with a significant amount of German and some Dutch. Material related to transactions after 1969 is restricted.

Transactions described in these files which contain unique Rosenberg & Stiebel inventory numbers have been indexed, and those from 1969 or earlier are included in this finding aid. When an inventory number is preceded by a P or S number, this refers to a page in the Purchases and Sales volumes in the Sales & Inventory Records series. These inventory numbers are also used to identify artworks in the Photographs series. Object descriptions are transcribed directly from the records. Please be aware that some objects are described with racial language that is offensive or outdated.

Related material can be found in the I. Rosenbaum, N.V. and Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc. subject files, particularly inventories, as well as the Photographs – Collections subseries.