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The beginnings of the Islamic Department
In 1904, when the Islamic Department was founded, which later became the Museum for Islamic Art, it was a relatively small collection compared to others. Gradually, the collection was built and expanded by enthusiastic individuals with a great passion for the art and culture of Islamic countries, who supported the museum in a variety of ways. Many of these individuals were Jewish Berliners and had close ties to the museum and its staff. They supported the museum primarily through extensive loans, which enabled the museum to create new exhibitions. In 1932, for example, the museum presented the exhibition "Islamic Art from Private Ownership in Berlin" in what was then the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, now the Bode Museum. This exhibition was furnished almost exclusively with loans from Jewish collectors. Moritz Sobernheim lent the museum 42 objects for this purpose, Herbert Gutmann 41, and Max Ginsberg more than 60. Also represented were the collections of Alfred Cassirer, Frida Hahn, and Fritz Pohlmann.
Jewish collectors of Islamic art
When the Museum for Islamic Art was first established, it was a young institution focused on a field that had only just begun to gain recognition as an independent area of research. In this early phase, private collectors played a particularly important role.
Over time, the museum became a key point of contact for individuals with a strong interest in the art and culture of Islamic-influenced regions. These exchanges were mutually enriching: collectors received expert advice in building and expanding their collections, while the museum was able to supplement its own collection temporarily or permanently through loans or donations.
Strong and lasting connections grew between the museum’s leadership and private collectors who contributed significantly to the development of the collection. Many of the private collectors were from Jewish families.
Supporters of the Museum for Islamic Art
Jakob Goldschmidt
Jakob Goldschmidt came from humble beginnings. He was born in 1882 in Lower Saxony and, after completing a banking apprenticeship, he moved to Berlin, where he quickly became professionally successful. In Berlin and the surrounding area, Jakob Goldschmidt had two residences, which he adorned with objects from his collection: one in Berlin’s Tiergarten district (Matthäikirchstraße), where Max Ginsberg also lived for a time, and one in Neubabelsberg, making him a neighbor of Friedrich Sarre, the first director of the Islamic Department. Jakob Goldschmidt died in 1955 in New York.
Jakob Goldschmidt was considered one of the most influential bankers, economic experts, and networkers of his time. After his banking apprenticeship, he co-founded the banking house Schwarz, Goldschmidt & Co. in Berlin in 1909 together with others. He later became a partner in the Danat-Bank (Darmstädter und Nationalbank), one of the largest banks of the Weimar Republic. Goldschmidt must have held an outstanding position in the economy of that time, as he was given several telling nicknames such as “Magician of the Stock Exchange” and “Center of the Financial World.” He used the wealth associated with this status to promote science and the arts and to support social institutions.
Towards the end of the 1920s, however, his professional success began to wane. Business misjudgments may have played a role, but above all, Goldschmidt likely held on too long to the hope that the global economic downturn would not seriously affect the German economy. Ultimately, neither he nor the bank could withstand these developments. When the Danat-Bank became insolvent for various reasons at the start of the banking crisis in 1931, Goldschmidt lost his position. The Danat-Bank was forcibly merged with the Dresdner Bank and largely nationalized. Independent restructuring efforts by the owners were no longer possible by early 1933 at the latest, when the National Socialists came to power and introduced severe restrictions and repressive measures against Jewish people. In 1933, Goldschmidt emigrated to Switzerland and, in 1936, from Switzerland to the United States.
Jakob Goldschmidt’s Personal Interest in Collecting...
... focused primarily on French Impressionism and East Asian ceramics. However, records from the photo archive of the Museum for Islamic Art show that his private collection also included several carpets. The museum owes at least one knotted carpet (inv. no. I. 5526) to Goldschmidt. This carpet, made in the 16th century in what is now Turkey, was acquired on the art market in Paris and donated to the museum in 1929.
Parts of Jakob Goldschmidt’s collection were auctioned on June 23, 1936, at the Hugo Helbing auction house. The sale "is classified as a loss of property due to persecution under the Washington Principles. While not all circumstances can be fully reconstructed today, it is clear that Jakob Goldschmidt was subjected to persecution that resulted in significant financial loss."
Ernst Herzfeld
Ernst Herzfeld was an important member of the staff of the Museum for Islamic Art. The archaeologist initially joined the museum as a volunteer, but played a decisive role in shaping the emerging field of Islamic art history. In 1907/08, he traveled with Friedrich Sarre, then director of the Islamic Department, to places including present-day Iraq. There, he directed the excavations in the city of Samarra from 1911 to 1913.
As a Jewish citizen, Herzfeld faced the threat of persecution and harassment under the National Socialist regime. Herzfeld, who had worked primarily in Persia since 1923, returned to Germany only for brief visits in 1933 and once more in 1935 after the Nazis seized power. He was an excavator in Persepolis, and from there he emigrated to London in 1934. His final visit to Berlin was from March 15 to April 5, 1935. Herzfeld continued his scholarly career in England and later in the United States, and remains one of the most influential figures in the field to this day.
During his career, Herzfeld donated numerous objects to the Museum for Islamic Art. These included two bowls from the 10th or 11th century (I. 5303, I. 5312).
Charlotte von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Charlotte von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and her husband Paul owned an extensive collection of contemporary art, which she played a key role in building. A native of Berlin, she was also a writer and editor of a magazine dedicated to art and culture.
She donated one of two Egyptian shadow puppets (I. 1641, I. 1642) to the Museum for Islamic Art, although it remains unclear which of the two.
The shadow puppets are considered to be the oldest surviving material evidence of shadow play. They probably date from the 15th century and are made of camel leather, a material that rarely survives for such a long period of time. However, recent research suggests that they may have been created in the 18th century. Both figures will be on view in the Museum for Islamic Art’s new exhibition from 2027 onward.
Eduard Arnhold
Eduard Arnhold was one of the most important patrons of the Museum for Islamic Art. While he did not collect Islamic art himself—his focus was on contemporary European painting—he was one of the most generous patrons of the arts around the turn of the 20th century. In 1910, for example, he donated the Villa Massimo. The villa is a German cultural institute in Rome, which still belongs to the Federal Republic of Germany today. For over a hundred years, it has awarded scholarships to German artists and scholars, including prominent figures like Navid Kermani.
Eduard Arnhold was particularly important to the Museum of Islamic Art because he was a member of the Acquisitions Committee. The committee decided which objects should be acquired for the museum's collection.
Eduard Arnhold's charitable activities were made possible because the coal merchant was one of the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs of the Weimar Republic. Over the course of his life, he devoted a quarter of his fortune to social, cultural, or other charitable causes. He was also “one of the leading figures in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science, founded in 1911 and now known as the Max Planck Society.” Despite his many achievements, Eduard Arnhold has largely faded from public memory—though the full extent of his contributions as a patron is difficult to overstate.
Private collectors were of particular importance during the early years of the Museum for Islamic Art, which was initially founded in 1904 under the name Islamic Department. As a young institution exploring a field that had yet to be firmly established in academia, the museum and its leadership cultivated strong relationships with individuals who owned collections of art from regions shaped by Islamic cultures. Many of these collectors were of from Jewish families.
At the turn of the century, there was a widespread fascination within parts of the bourgeoisie for non-European cultures and their art. Among these enthusiasts were many Jewish men and women, whose interest was explicitly focused on Islamically influenced regions.
There could be several reasons for the high level of Jewish participation in this in this cultural movement. Despite the comparatively high level of social acceptance for Jewish people in Germany at the time—at least from a historical perspective—it was often still difficult for them to gain access to established fields of culture, science, and society in general. Emerging disciplines and new institutions may therefore have presented valuable opportunities for cultural, academic, and societal participation.
Figures such as Eduard Arnhold, Charlotte von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Alfred and Eva Cassirer, Jakob Goldschmidt, Eduard Simon, and Max Ginsberg played key roles in enriching the museum’s collection—whether through donations, loans, or acquisitions—and also in funding archaeological excavations. The close connections between these individuals and the museum’s leadership extended beyond financial support. As experts in the same field, they engaged in dialogue about individual objects and related scholarly questions. In some cases, private collectors were even members of museum committees such as the acquisition board, where they helped decide which artworks should be purchased and at what price.
Franz von Mendelssohn
In 1914, Franz von Mendelssohn donated this ceramic vessel in the form of a woman sitting cross-legged, nursing a naked child (I. 2622). She is dressed in a blue cloak adorned with vine patterns, worn over a light garment. Her hair hangs loosely in several strands, and her head is covered by a cap with a pearl border. The ceramic vessel shows several later additions.
Starting in 2027, the vessel will also be part of the permanent exhibition at the Museum for Islamic Art. It is made of molded fritware, with the figure's clothing and head covering glazed in cobalt blue. The contours, as well as the face, hair, and ornaments, are executed in lusterware technique. The object most likely originates from Iran and is dated to around 1200. Ceramic figures like this one became fashionable in Iran during the 12th to early 13th centuries. Some are shaped as jugs or vases, taking the form of humans or animals. It remains unclear what purpose this figure of a nursing woman served.
Herbert M. Gutmann
This bowl (I. 4843) was donated to the collection of the Museum for Islamic Art by Herbert M. Gutmann. It depicts a rider facing to the right, surrounded by floral decoration and is framed by a decorative border. The rider is carrying a sword and a Norman shield, and can be seen fighting a blue, red-spotted animal attacking from the right, possibly a leopard. Under the horse, a fleeing hare is depicted. The rim bears an inscription. The design of the rider and the battle scene has parallels in other art forms at Islamic courts of the 12th and 13th centuries. However, the Norman shield and the sword point to the influence of the Crusaders during that time.
The bowl is currently in the museum's storage, but will be on display in the permanent exhibition starting in 2027. It originates from Syria and is dated to the late 12th or early 13th century.
Moritz Sobernheim
The Museum for Islamic Art received several early Islamic glasses as donations from Moritz Sobernheim, including this example (I. 1946). Originally made of green glass, it has taken on a colorful, almost iridescent hue over time. This process is called iridescence.
Moritz Sobernheim was a German politician and diplomat. He was also an "Orientalist," as scholars who studied the languages, cultures, and religions of the Middle East were referred to at the time. He authored several books, including ones on inscriptions and architecture. He was professionally active in the Middle East on behalf of the Prussian government several times. He died in 1933 in Berlin and was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Weißensee.
For the Museum for Islamic Art, Moritz Sobernheim is particularly important because he donated the Damascus niche (I. 583) to the museum in 1907. This niche remains one of the most significant objects in the collection. Sobernheim acquired it in 1900 in Damascus and had it brought to Berlin. It is a classic element of interior decoration from the homes in Ottoman-period Damascus. The niche is dated to the 16th century.
Eduard Simon
The Museum for Islamic Art owes several objects to Eduard Simon. He was the cousin of James Simon, probably the most well-known patron in Berlin, and had a particular interest in the cultures of the Middle East. He was a co-owner of the cotton and linen factory Gebrüder Simon, founded in 1852, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Breslau in 1911.
Like many others, he supported numerous Berlin museums. In 1914, the Islamic Department was able to make purchases worth over 14,000 marks on the international art market because Eduard Simon provided the amount in advance.
Objects in the Museum for Islamic Art that can be traced back to Eduard Simon include a plate (I. 1592), a bowl (I. 1594), a clay jug (I. 1593), a metal pitcher (I. 2210), as well as fragments of a sarcophagus (I. 4422, I. 4423).
This tile in the shape of a prayer niche (I. 591) comes from present-day Iran and was likely made in the 13th or 14th century.
More stories about the Jewish collectors
The Collector Dr. Max Ginsberg
Some Jewish individuals were deeply involved in building the collection of the Museum for Islamic Art in the early 20th century. Dr. Max Ginsberg (1872-1938), a Berlin-based merchant and banker, was one of them.
