Elaborate patent of nobility, written in calligraphy on decorated parchment leaves and placed in an elegant velvet binding. The certificate was granted to the banker Jacob Levi de Menasce of Alexandria, and is signed by Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Vienna, 15 October 1873. German and some Latin.
The document grants the title of Ritter (knight) to the banker Jacob Levi de Menasce of Alexandria, as well as the right to use a heraldic coat of arms. Next to the Emperor's signature, the certificate includes signatures of Baron Joseph Freiherr von Lasser-Zollheim, Austrian Minister of the Interior, and Adolph Löhr, ministerial adviser.
The certificate is written in fine calligraphy in black ink over four thick parchment leaves; initial letters, headers and important names are decorated in gilt ink and in red and blue. All leaves are framed in artistic engravings, decorated with vegetal patterns and symbols of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The name of the calligrapher (Spada) appears at the edge of the last page.
Jacob Levi de Menasce (1809-1887), progenitor of the famous De Menasce banking dynasty. Born in Cairo, he began as a moneychanger. He gradually acquired great wealth, securing the position of personal banker to Isma'il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt. He founded the J. L. Menasce et Fils company and oversaw an international trade and shipping network, with branches in the financial capitals of Europe. He took part in funding some of Egypt's largest industrialization initiatives spanning half of the 19th century, serving as a key venue of trade between Austria-Hungary and the Levant. Alongside his manifold business dealings, de Menasce was a pillar of the Egyptian Jewish community and a leader of the community in Alexandria.
The present certificate documents the entrance of the Menasce family to the European nobility. In the patent, the Emperor notes that Jacob Levi Menasce is a highly meritorious man, with laudable achievements, having been awarded the Order of Franz Joseph, Order of the Iron Crown and the Ottoman Order of the Medjidie. Due to his merits and contributions to trade, he and all his legitimate descendants are granted the title of Knight, and the right to the name Jacob Levi Ritter von Menasce. Three years later, in 1876, Jacob Levi de Menasce was awarded the rank of Baron (Freiherr), and gained the aristocratic preposition "de" (de Menasce). His grandson was the famous Zionist leader Baron Felix de Menasce.
The document goes on with a high-quality full-page illustration of the family's new coat of arms, alongside a detailed and exact description of each element. The unique coat of arms incorporates Egyptian motifs with European heraldry: the center of the shield depicts the imperial two-headed Austrian eagle, below which is the sphinx crouching in front of a pyramid built of red stones, next to a half-crescent and star of silver (symbols of Islam and the Orient). The crest of the knights' helmets depicts a golden bee (a symbol of industry), an anchor (a symbol of maritime trade) and two elephant trunks (a motif highlighting the connection to Africa). At the bottom, the Menasce family motto is featured on a gilt ribbon: "Quilibet Fortunae Suae Faber" (each person is the maker of his fortune).
Original velvet binding in royal purple (the color of the Empire), decorated in the center with a large and impressive gilt decoration of the Austro-Hungarian coat of arms. Parchment leaves bound to spine with gold-colored lace.
[4] parchment leaves. Covered with endpapers. 36 cm. Good condition. Stains and creases. Marginal tears to some endpapers. Light wear to edges of binding and spine. Back of binding partially repaired.
