A Rothschild Renaissance: Treasures from the Waddesdon Bequest

Fascinating new gallery at the British Museum to display the Waddesdon Bequest.

The collection was left to the museum in 1898 by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild and was collected by him and his father. It is the most magnificent collection of Renaissance objects. I was particularly struck by the jewellery which was one of the best collections which I had seen.  I was also interested in seeing the work of a female enamel artist Susanne Court.

The star item was a Holy Thorn reliquary made for John, Duc de Berry and I loved the way the Lycargus Cup was displayed with different light conditions to show off the lovely translucent effect.

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