The dream of great enthusiasts for ancient Greece

A Greek loverThéodore Reinach (1860-1928) was the youngest of three very talented brothers born into a family of bankers, originally from Frankfurt. Important personalities in the Third Republic, the Reinach brothers were known as the “Know-it-alls” because of their extraordinary learning. The eldest, Joseph, was a deputy (member of the French parliament) and worked with Gambetta. Salomon was a member of the Institut de France and had a distinguished career as curator of the “Musée national des Antiquités”. As for Theodore, he gained a double doctoral degree (in law and arts) at a very young age, before concentrating on ancient Greek history. He was an archaeologist, papyrologist, numismatist and musicologist, a member of the “Académie des Inscriptions et des Belles Lettres”, as well as being deputy for the Savoie department.

It was his great love of all things Greek that gave rise to the building of the Grecian villa at Beaulieu-sur-Mer, not far from Rothschild’s famous Villa Ephrussi. Madame Reinach was in fact a cousin of baron Maurice Ephrussi.

Theodore Reinach entrusted his project to Emmanuel Pontremoli (1865-1956). This architect and archaeologist, winner of the “Grand prix de Rome” and an elected member of the “Académie des Beaux Arts”, shared Reinach’s passion for ancient Greece. He fell in love with the idea and spent 6 years, from 1902 to 1908, creating the Villa Kerylos. The Greek word “Kerylos” means Halcyon or kingfisher which in Greek mythology was thought to be a bird of good omen.