A Showcase for the Rothschild Collections
Hannah de Rothschild in the hall at Mentmore, circa 1850, Earl of Rosebery Collection
The fireplace comes from Rubens’ residence in Antwerp.
One of the largest residences built by the Rothschilds in the United Kingdom, Mentmore is a jewel of British architecture. The grandeur of its proportions was matched only by the splendor of its interiors.
Château de Mentmore, built by Joseph Paxton between 1850 and 1855© Tim Ockenden/PA Images via Getty Images
At the very end of the eighteenth century, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), founder of the dynasty, sent four of his sons from Frankfurt to the financial capitals of Europe to expand the family’s business interests. Their success was spectacular: in the nineteenth century, they became powerful state bankers. Nathan (1777–1836), settled in London as early as 1809, founded the English branch of the family. As the head of N. M. Rothschild, he became, from 1814 onward, the principal financial partner of the British Crown. His sons further developed the family empire, and the fourth, Mayer (1818–1874), added a political dimension to it. Based in Buckinghamshire, he first served as High Sheriff of the county before becoming a Member of Parliament. In 1850, backed by immense wealth, he decided to build a residence worthy of his ambitions.
Lucien-François Feuchère (attributed to), Pair of candelabra, circa 1784–1786, Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum (inv. 71.DF.99)
This candelabra were acquired by Mayer de Rothschild in 1864 from the Parisian dealer Louis-Auguste-Alfred Beurdeley.
Great builders, the Rothschilds erected remarkable houses throughout the nineteenth century. In 1850, Mayer chose the architect Joseph Paxton (1803–1865) to design a mansion on land he had just acquired at Mentmore. Paxton conceived a Jacobean-style house directly inspired by Wollaton Hall, built in the sixteenth century by Robert Smythson (1535–1614). This historicist approach suited Mayer’s political aspirations: through this home, he sought to anchor himself firmly within British tradition.
Its interior, however, was strikingly modern. Laid out on a square plan flanked by four towers, the house was organized around a vast central hall surrounded by Italianate open galleries. This space, used as both a drawing room and a reception area, astonished visitors by its monumental scale. It was illuminated by a glass roof designed using the latest innovations Paxton had developed for the Crystal Palace. For all its grandeur, the house offered exceptional comfort: running hot water and central heating. The family settled there in 1855 in what was then the largest Rothschild residence in England.
Hall of Mentmore
Hanging from the glass roof are three lanterns from the Bucentaur, the famous ceremonial galley of the Doges of Venice.
On the wall hangs a set of twelve Gobelins tapestries acquired in 1852.
A politician and financier, Mayer de Rothschild was also a discerning collector. Beginning in the late 1830s, he acquired important paintings, furniture, and objets d’art. A prominent English dealer, Alexandre Barker, assisted him in his search for artworks all throughout Europe. Mentmore became the ideal setting for his collection. In July 1852, a set of twelve Gobelins tapestries was acquired for the great hall, followed by the Louis XV–period boiseries from the Hôtel de Villars in Paris, which were installed in the dining room. Mayer’s taste was eclectic, favoring monumental pieces, strong polychromy, and prestigious provenances. He brought together works from France, England, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. He also mixed periods: German and Italian Baroque stood alongside French eighteenth-century masterpieces. The Renaissance, one of his passions, was represented at Mentmore by rare Limoges enamels, German ivories, and an exceptional collection of amber.
Adam Weisweiler (attributed to), Low cabinet delivered in 1788 by marchand ‑mercier Dominique Daguerre for Louis XVI’s wardrobe at the Château de Versailles, 1788, Versailles, Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (inv. V 5296)
This cabinet was part of the Mayer de Rothschild collection at Mentmore, then by descent to the Rosebery family.
© RMN-GP (Palace of Versailles) / All rights reserved
French eighteenth-century decorative arts held a privileged place within the collection. Both reception rooms and private chambers were furnished with superb pieces from this period. Even the bathrooms featured Louis XV or Louis XVI commodes, their marble tops pierced to accommodate basins and taps. Few collectors showed such interest in the eighteenth century so early in the nineteenth, making Mayer a true pioneer. Over the years, he assembled works by the greatest craftsmen of the Enlightenment: Jean-François Œben, Jean-Henri Riesener, André-Charles Boulle, and the Sèvres manufactory. Through their rarity and provenance, these pieces formed an exceptional ensemble, rarely equaled in the history of collecting. Among the eighteenth-century masterpieces once kept at Mentmore were two pairs of sycamore-maple furniture decorated with oil painting and attributed to Ferdinand Bury (1740–1795). Belonging to a very small group of pieces conceived in the 1770s, they reflect an original and refined taste supported by remarkable craftsmanship. One of these pairs is now part of the Galerie Léage collection.
Ferdinand Bury (cabinetwork attributed to), Jean-Louis Prévost (painted decoration attributed to), Jean-Baptiste II Thuart (probably delivered by), Pair of painted low cabinets, circa 1770–1775, Galerie Léage
This pair of furniture comes from the collection of Hannah de Rothschild at Mentmore, then by descent to the Rosebery family.
Hannah de Rothschild, Mayer’s only daughter, inherited the estate and its collections. In 1878, she married the 5th Earl of Rosebery, and Mentmore subsequently passed to their son Harry. In 1977, burdened by substantial inheritance taxes, the 7th Earl of Rosebery was forced to disperse its contents in what became known as “the sale of the century.”
Bibliography:
- Pauline Prévost-Marcilhacy, Les Rothschild, bâtisseurs et mécènes, Flammarion, 1995
- Catalogue de vente, Sotheby’s Parke Bernet & Co, mai 1977, Mentmore, Buckinghamshire
- Pascale Villiers Le Moy, “Les fabuleuses collections du château de Mentmore,” L’Estampille, no. 85, April 1977, pp. 30–33.
