Collection
Waddesdon is internationally famous for its collection of eighteenth-century decorative arts. Together with important British, Dutch and French paintings, it is displayed in the magnificent interiors created in the late 1800s by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild.
New acquisitions and loans continue to be added; some complementing the historic collection, others exploring areas of contemporary art.
Special Projects
Specific areas of the collection catalogued in partnership with academic institutions.
Collection News
Le Carrosse by Xavier Veilhan
New acquisition by the Rothschild Foundation for Waddesdon Manor
Publication of the Sacred Stitches exhibition catalogue
Exhibitions
Our exhibitions for 2013 have a textile theme. Drawn entirely from the stored collections at Waddesdon, Sacred Stitches: Ecclesiastical Textiles in the Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor includes rare fragments of opulent textiles, assembled for the first time to explore a surprising area of Rothschild collecting. Philippa Lawrence’s contemporary work, Darning the Land: Sewn, is inspired by close study of unseen aspects of the textile collections in store. Exhibitions showing the riches of the Waddesdon Estate archives and the maiolica collection continue from 2012.
Waddesdon Archive
The Manor, Estate and Family archives (of the Rothschilds who have been responsible for Waddesdon) are housed in the stunning new building complex at Windmill Hill on the estate. It is also home to the Rothschild Foundation. Opened in 2011, the building was designed by Stephen Marshall Architects and has won a prestigious regional prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects.