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Biography
Frédéric Engel-Gros was born in 1843 to Alsatian parents. His father, Frédéric Engel-Dollfus, was an elite member of l'Industrie de Mulhouse and an avid art collector who lavishly decorated his residence in Dornach. His father greatly supported instilling the common people with an appreciation for art by means of numerous exhibitions in Dornach. In 1870 Engel-Gros succeeded his father as head of "la grande maison Dollfus-Mieg." He was inspired by his uncle Jean Dollfus, a busy Paris gallery owner, to begin studying art at age thirty. Engel-Gros' first purchases were Alsatian prints and books. He began to decorate his old historical château, Gundeldingen, with Swiss stained glass, furniture, and armor. He progressed to decorating his Bâloise château with French and Italian art, antique statues of Tanagra, and gallo-Roman bronzes. In 1883 the family inaugurated their museum in Mulhouse. The opening exhibition stressed the collections of amateur Alsatien collectors and thus inspired Engel-Gros to collect even more. He bought the Saint-Porchaire cup (now in the NGA) from the Italian dealer Simonetti in 1921. In 1892 Engel-Gros became master of the Château de Ripaille. The château was built in the fourteenth century by Bonne de Bourbon, a French princess, and her husband, the Comte de Savoie. These former residents brought about the name of the château, which means "to feast" (faire ripaille). Engel-Gros restored the fourteenth and fifteenth century decoration and produced a museum ambiance.Bibliography
- 1921
- Dayot, ed. "La Collection F. Engel-Gros." l'Art et les Artistes. Paris (May 1921): 334-335.
- 1925
- Ganz, Paul. l'Oeuvre d'un Amateur d'art; la Collection de Monsieur F. Engel-Gros. Geneva, 1925.