This book presents and explores the Waddesdon Bequest, the name given to the Kunstkammer collection or cabinet of Renaissance treasures, which was bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1898. The Bequest is named after the Waddesdon estate in Buckinghamshire, a fairy-tale French château constructed by Baron Ferdinand from 1874 to 1883, where the collection was housed during his lifetime. As a prominent Jewish banking family, the Rothschilds were the greatest collectors of the 19th century, seeking not only the finest craftsmanship in their treasures but also exhibiting great discretion and a keen sense of historical significance in their selection.

Baron Ferdinand's goal, often working in competition with his cousins, was to acquire a special room filled with brilliant, precious, and elaborate items in the tradition of European courts from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was understood that a collection of this quality could never be formed again, given the rarity and cost of the pieces, as well as issues of forgery and deceit in this type of material.

The book will reveal the history and romantic side of this glorious collection through the exploration of some of its greatest treasures and the stories they tell. It will introduce creators and patrons, craftsmanship, forgery, and the history of the collection from the late medieval to the modern period, as revealed through the objects.

Treasures discussed include masterpieces of goldsmiths' art in silver, jewelry, hardstones and engraved rock crystal, stunning microcarvings in boxwood, painted enamel, ceramics, and glass, weapons and armor, as well as "curious" treasures including ostrich eggs, Seychelles nuts, amber, or nautilus shells. Scholarly catalogues for parts of this wonderful collection have been published, but this book will open up the Bequest to the general reader.

By looking at the individual objects in detail and drawing on new photography and research, the book will enable readers to see and understand the objects in a completely different light.

Pages: 352, Year of Publication: 0820, Dimensions: 24x24cm