Theobald Pollak (Ministerialrat)
born Prerau, Moravia, October 6, 1855; died Vienna, March 21, 1912
Documents associated with this person:
Austrian civil servant and friend of many artists.
Career Summary
Theobald Pollak was a doctor of law, and a Departmental Counselor (Sektionsrath) in the Austrian Ministry of Railways. In 1906 he lived at Vienna IV/1, Schleimühlgasse 4. He was acquainted with many Viennese painters, musicians, architects, and designers, including Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann. He had a close relationship with Gustav and Alma Mahler (it was he who gave Mahler the volume of Chinese poems that was used in Das Lied von der Erde), and was well-disposed toward Schoenberg and Alban Berg. He suffered from, and eventually died from tuberculosis.
On his gravestone he was described as:
K.K. Ministerialrat und Departement-Vorstand im K.K. Eisenbahnministerium, Ritter der
Eisernen Krone III. Klasse, Kommandeur des Spanischen Isabellen Ordens und Ehrenbürger
der politischen Israelitengemeinde Prerau etc etc
(Imperial-Royal
Ministerial Counselor and Department Head in the Imperial-Royal Ministry of Railways,
Knight of the Iron Crown, 2rd class, Commander of the Spanish Isabella Order, Honorary
Citizen of the political Jewish Community of Prerau, etc., etc.").
Theobald Pollak and Schenker
Schenker had a long-standing relationship with the Pollak family. The only reference to Theobald in the pre-1912 diaries occurs on Christmas Day 1906, when Schenker called on him "regarding Felix Pollak." Nothing more is known of their relationship.
Sources
Contributor
- Ian Bent