In the archives of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, there are some papers relating to Erwin Panofsky, the art historian, collected by his second wife Gerda Panofsky (née Sörgel). I was led there by the question of the relation between Pierre Bourdieu and Panofsky, on which I write about here. There is less material than I was expecting – the main Panofsky archives are at the Smithsonian Institution and there are files at the IAS under his own name – but the description mentions some correspondence, and there is a digital file. I was surprised to find this short file is actually all about Panofsky’s dog, Dion. The file is worth a look for curiosity – there is a Greek text about the gift of a dog, with a list of names from the IAS community who had made this gift, including Robert and Kitty Oppenheimer (that image is here). There is also a paw print on paper, the English text of the Greek dedication, a photograph which shows he was an Irish (or Red) Setter, and a letter signed by William (William S. Heckscher – a former student and colleague of Panofsky) about the dog’s premature end. It sounds like he was hit by a car. 

There is also a note card, with the printed text of “With Deepest Sympathy” and the handwritten “I meant it really – I am frightfully sorry!” It is signed “EKa”, who is none other than Ernst Kantorowicz. Kantorowicz’s name also appears on the list of those who gifted the dog. Kantorowicz and Panofsky were colleagues at the IAS for many years, and this humanises two figures who can seem rather austere from their writings…

References

“Erwin Panofsky: Life, Work, and Legacy”, Institute for Advanced Study, https://www.ias.edu/erwin-panofsky-life-work-and-legacy

Elizabeth Sears, “The Life and Work of William S. Heckscher”, Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 53 (1), 1990, 107-33. The story of his first meeting with Panofsky is well told in this text.

Archives

Correspondence and ephemera related to Erwin Panofksy’s dog, 1953 and undated, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, https://albert.ias.edu/entities/archivalmaterial/c88fb699-8237-420a-abc4-9d00d810ee62

Erwin Panofsky papers, 1904-1990, bulk 1920-1968, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/erwin-panofsky-papers-8926

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.). Director’s Office. Faculty records, https://archives.ias.edu/repositories/2/resources/96/collection_organization

This note is in the same style as the ‘Sunday histories‘ posts, though its minor status means I’ve posted it mid-week.