99-721: The Holy Thorn Reliquary was probably created in the 1390s in Paris for John, Duke of Berry , to house a relic of the Crown of Thorns . The reliquary was bequeathed to the British Museum in 1898 by Ferdinand de Rothschild as part of the Waddesdon Bequest . It is one of a small number of major goldsmiths' works or joyaux that survive from the extravagant world of the courts of the Valois royal family around 1400. It
198-533: A burglary was committed involving the Johnson Gang , when approximately 100 gold snuff boxes and other items were stolen from the collection prompting the installation of new security measures. In 2021 one small sweet-box from this theft was identified at auction and returned to Waddesdon. Since 2004, there has been an exhibitions programme. Notable exhibitions include the Lod Mosaic in 2014. Waddesdon
297-693: A chapel, perhaps the Bourges Sainte Chapelle , built in emulation of the king's Paris Sainte Chapelle , where the Crown of Thorns itself was kept. The reliquary is relatively small and would almost certainly have had a custom-made carrying case like that for the Royal Gold Cup, in which the cup came to the British Museum. Cherry and Tait have longer bibliographies. John, Duke of Berry John of Berry or John
396-601: A gold scroll label with the Latin inscription Ista est una spinea corone / Domini nostri ihesu xpisti ("This is a thorn from the crown / Of Our Lord Jesus Christ") in black enamel filling the engraved letters. Below the inscription is a scene showing the mass resurrection of naked people rising from their graves on the Day of Judgement . On a green enamel mound like a hillside are four naked figures, two men and two women, emerging from tiny gold coffins whose lids have been upturned on
495-544: A handful of survivals. Only one item mentioned in the records of the Berry collection might match the reliquary, but this was made after 1401, which conflicts with the date suggested by the heraldry. Another possibility is that the reliquary was made and given as a gift, as many such pieces were, in between inventories. The reliquary exuberantly exploits the ronde bosse or "encrusted" enamelling technique, which involves creating small three-dimensional figures coated in enamel on
594-458: A metal core, often just gold wire. The technique was a recent innovation which the goldsmiths working for the Valois were pushing to its limits at the end of the 14th century. The main colour of enamel used is a lead-based white, which had also only been developed a decade or two at most before the date of the reliquary, and was evidently very fashionable at the end of the century. White dominates
693-518: A nearby marble slab are the names of the Rothschilds who built and have cared for Waddesdon. Baron Ferdinand also created a cast-iron aviary , inspired by 18th-century pavilions at the Palace of Versailles and Château de Chantilly , as well as his childhood home at Grüneburg. It was completed in 1889. Like other members of his family, such as Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild , Ferdinand
792-564: A pair of scales. On the right is Saint Christopher , carrying the Christ child on his shoulders, who raises his hand in blessing. There was a popular belief that sight of an image of Saint Christopher meant that a person would not die on that day without receiving the Last Rites , which may well explain his presence here. In the fake in Vienna, the figures of both saints are enamelled; flesh
891-418: A particular maker. Paris was the centre of production for the great numbers of joyaux , secular and religious, produced for the extended Valois royal family and other buyers. Berry and his brothers and nephews had goldsmiths on salaries or retainers for what must have been a continuous flow of commissions, whose results are tersely catalogued in various inventories of the period, but of which there are now only
990-569: A single thorn; it was probably made a few years before he commissioned his famous Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry , and some years after he commissioned the Royal Gold Cup , also in the British Museum. Previously dated between 1401 and 1410, from evidence in John Cherry's book of 2010 the reliquary is now thought to have been made before 1397; based on the heraldic forms used, the museum now dates it to 1390–97. The Holy Thorn Reliquary
1089-539: A small gold pin, containing full-length gold figures in relief , chased in gold, a feature unique to this reliquary. On the left door is the archangel Saint Michael , spearing a dragon representing the devil. He was both the patron saint of the French monarchy, and also traditionally the person responsible for supervising the chaotic crowds at the Last Judgement, when he is often shown in art weighing souls in
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#17327652028791188-538: A weekend residence for entertaining and to house his collection of arts and antiquities. As the manor and estate have passed through three generations of the Rothschild family , the contents of the house have expanded to become one of the most rare and valuable collections in the world. In 1957, James de Rothschild bequeathed the house and its contents to the National Trust, opening the house and gardens for
1287-655: Is a country house in the village of Waddesdon , in Buckinghamshire , England. Owned by the National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation, it is one of the National Trust's most visited properties, with over 463,000 visitors in 2019. The Grade I listed house was built in a mostly Neo-Renaissance style, copying individual features of several French châteaux , between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898) as
1386-421: Is just over 30 centimetres (12 in) high and weighs 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb). There are some areas of damage (including what appears to be deliberate removal of enamel in the 19th century), and small losses and repairs; but generally the reliquary is in good condition. The central front compartment holding the relic is protected by a thin pane of rock crystal, which has kept it in perfect condition. The enamel
1485-551: Is listed in several inventories of the Imperial Schatzkammer ("treasure chamber") in Vienna from 1677 onwards. It remained in Vienna until after 1860, when it appeared in an exhibition. Some time after this it was sent to be restored by Salomon Weininger, an art dealer with access to skilled craftsmen, who secretly made a number of copies. He was later convicted of other forgeries, and died in prison in 1879, but it
1584-471: Is made of gold, lavishly decorated with jewels and pearls, and uses the technique of enamelling en ronde bosse , or "in the round", which had been recently developed when the reliquary was made, to create a total of 28 three-dimensional figures, mostly in white enamel. Except at its base the reliquary is slim, with two faces; the front view shows the end of the world and the Last Judgement , with
1683-450: Is mostly in ronde bosse technique, applied to three-dimensional figures, with white as the dominant colour. At the time, white enamel using lead had been only recently developed and was very fashionable, dominating many contemporary ronde bosse works. There is also red, green, blue, pink, and black enamel. Pure gold is used throughout, which is rare even in royal commissions of such pieces at this period; most use cheaper silver-gilt for
1782-560: Is now designed on computer allowing the schemes to be quickly installed. The patterns change each year to reflect different themes. The gardens are listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . Though the trees are not of a great age there are many specimens of deciduous and coniferous trees that have now reached maturity creating the desired effect in the Waddesdon landscape . Some of these trees were planted in
1881-504: Is primarily remembered as a collector of the important illuminated manuscripts and other works of art commissioned by him, such as the Très Riches Heures . His personal motto was Le temps venra ("the time will come"). John was born at the castle of Vincennes on 30 November 1340, the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg . In 1356, he was made Count of Poitou by his father, and in 1358 he
1980-535: Is sited near the Aviary: Apollo by Jean Raon, 1699, associated with a commission at Versailles . There are also Dutch vases in the style of Albert Jansz Vinckenbrinck and sculptures by Jan van Logteren , the latter were originally displayed at Aston Clinton House . In 2001, Stephen Cox 's tomb-like sculpture Interior Space: Terra degli Etruschi was installed at the end of the Baron's Walk. Inscribed on
2079-590: Is white, Michael and the Christ child have red robes, and Christopher blue, and the saints stand on a brownish dragon and blue water respectively, with green grass below both of these. Some scholars have thought it unlikely that the forger invented this scheme, and therefore presumed that he copied enamel on the original that has been removed in the 19th century, probably because it was damaged—sections of enamel cannot be patched up, but must be removed completely and redone. However John Cherry believes this and other changes in
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#17327652028792178-607: The Ancien Régime . One of the highlights of the collection is the extraordinary musical automaton elephant, dating from 1774 and made by the French clockmaker H Martinet. Of the ten surviving examples of the Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship from the 1760s, three are at Waddesdon, including one with a very rare scene of a battle connected to the Seven Years' War . In the 1890s, Baron Ferdinand focused on
2277-504: The Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Remembering his father's fate as a captive after the Battle of Poitiers fifty-nine years before, he feared the fate of France if the king and his heirs should be taken captive and he therefore successfully prevented their participation. John died on 15 June 1416 in Paris a few months after the battle, which proved as disastrous as he had feared. John sired
2376-477: The Château de Mouchy . Through Destailleur's vision, Waddesdon embodied an eclectic style based on the châteaux so admired by his patron, Baron Ferdinand. The towers at Waddesdon were based on those of the Château de Maintenon , and the twin staircase towers , on the north facade, were inspired by the staircase tower at the Château de Chambord . However, following the theme of unparalleled luxury at Waddesdon,
2475-570: The Habsburg collections from at least the 16th century until the 1860s, when it was replaced by a forgery during a restoration by an art dealer, Salomon Weininger. The fraud remained undetected until well after the original reliquary came to the British Museum. The reliquary was featured in the BBC's A History of the World in 100 Objects , in which Neil MacGregor described it as "without question one of
2574-654: The Holy Land in the 7th century, and may very well be the same relics that Bishop Paulinus of Nola saw in Jerusalem in 409. There are a number of other thorn relics said to have come from the relic in the Paris Sainte Chapelle , including the far smaller Salting Reliquary in the British Museum, a French pendant of about 1340. Berry may have kept the reliquary with him on his round of visits to his many castles and palaces, or it may have been kept in
2673-542: The Limbourg brothers , Jean de Berry made a decisive contribution to the renewal of art which took place in his time and to a number of religious houses, notably Notre Dame de Paris . After the death of John's maternal grandfather, John the Blind , during the Battle of Crecy (1346), the famed court composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut entered into the service of John of Berry. Waddesdon Manor Waddesdon Manor
2772-456: The Trinity and saints above and the resurrection of the dead below, and the relic of a single long thorn believed to come from the crown of thorns worn by Jesus when he was crucified . The rear view has less extravagant decoration, mostly in plain gold in low relief , and has doors that opened to display a flat object, now missing, which was presumably another relic. The reliquary was in
2871-509: The Virgin Mary in supplicant poses, a traditional grouping ; John was also one of the Duke's patron saints . Around the central scene small figures of the twelve Apostles carrying their identifying attributes emerge from the foliage border of oak leaves and tendrils; the uppermost heads on each side are replacements, probably by Weininger in the 1860s. Below this upper section there is
2970-516: The celestial spheres are represented like a rainbow, and above him fly two angels holding Instruments of the Passion , including the crown of thorns over his head; behind him a cross in shallow relief emerges from the curved gold background. The thorn relic rises below and in front of him, mounted on a "monstrously large sapphire". To the left and right of Christ are shown John the Baptist and
3069-872: The provenance of the Holy Thorn, as well as its centrality to the Passion of Christ must have given it a special status. The crown from which the thorn came had been bought in 1239 by Louis IX , both a saint and King of France, from the Latin Emperor in Constantinople , Baldwin II , along with a portion of the True Cross . Both had been in Constantinople since the Muslim Conquest of
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3168-937: The 1870s and responsibility for this fell to William Barron whose job it was to transplant trees from the surrounding countryside to give the grounds of Waddesdon a sense of maturity, creating vistas and focal points under the instructions from Elie Lainé . Deciduous trees were selected on their form, flowering and array of autumnal colour. Conifers were selected for their evergreen nature, cones and berries. Today many species such as chestnuts , limes and maples as well as yew , cedars and redwoods can be seen. From Baron Ferdinand's time to today, distinguished visitors have been invited to plant memorial trees. Queen Victoria , King Edward VII , King George V and Queen Mary were early royal visitors. Charles III (as Prince of Wales) and Prime Ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair have also planted trees. Baron Ferdinand acquired many fine statues and fountains to add interest to
3267-619: The Bold , Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404). All commissioned great numbers of works of art in various media, and in particular spent huge sums on works in gold and silver. Although it is Berry who is especially remembered as a patron, partly because he specialized in illuminated manuscripts which have little value in their materials and so have not been recycled, his brother Louis of Anjou had over 3,000 pieces of plate at one point. These included wholly secular pieces with sculptures in enamel that can only be imagined by comparison as regards technique to
3366-894: The Cellars, some 150 years old, the majority from the Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild estates. It is the largest private collection of Rothschild wines in the world. There are also wine labels designed by artists such as Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol . Once his château was complete, Baron Ferdinand installed his extensive collections of English 18th-century portraits by artists like Gainsborough and Reynolds , as well as French 18th-century boiseries , Savonnerie carpets, Gobelins and Beauvais tapestries, furniture, Sèvres ceramics, books, Dutch paintings and Renaissance treasures. Works were acquired for their exquisite quality and fine provenance, particularly those belonging to French royalty of
3465-475: The Dairy Water garden which has elaborate rock formations by James Pulham . As part of the day's entertainments, Ferdinand's guests were taken to the ornamental Dairy to taste milk from cows who wore Meissen porcelain name tags. In recent years, commissions to contemporary architects have occurred on the wider estate. Windmill Hill Archive (2011) was designed by Stephen Marshall. Flint House (2015)
3564-488: The Day of Judgement—a belief expressed in the antiphon sung at Sens Cathedral in 1239 to celebrate the arrival of the main relic. Two panels on the walls of the castle are patterned with the coat of arms of the Duke of Berry, and their form has been crucial for establishing the provenance and date of the work. Two of the angels with horns have blue fleurs-de-lis on their robes; the other two, patterns of dots in blue. All
3663-591: The English, who were occupying much of northern France after their victory at the Battle of Agincourt the previous year. That the reliquary escaped this fate suggests it may have been given away by Berry, perhaps to his Burgundian cousins, in whose family it is next recorded (the Burgundian heiress Mary of Burgundy married the Habsburg Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1477). A reliquary that
3762-644: The Imperial Habsburg Court in Vienna , where the deception remained undetected for several decades. The original reliquary reached the British Museum as part of the Waddesdon Bequest in 1899, by which time its origins had been "completely lost" and it was described as "Spanish, 16th Century". Thus its history had to be reconstructed through scholarship; the meaning of the heraldic plaques on the castle base had by now been lost in both London and Vienna. The first publication to assert that
3861-524: The London reliquary was the one recorded in earlier Viennese inventories was an article by Joseph Destrée in 1927; the matter was not finally settled until 1959 when the Viennese version was brought to London to enable close comparison. The assembled experts from the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna agreed that the London reliquary was the original. Under
3960-462: The Magnificent ( French : Jean de Berry , Latin : Johannes de Bituria ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier . His brothers were King Charles V of France , Duke Louis I of Anjou and Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy. He was Regent of France from 1380 to 1388 during the minority of his nephew Charles VI . John
4059-541: The Manor and on the wider estate including by Richard Long , Sarah Lucas . In 2012, Christie's chose the Manor to exhibit sculptures by leading contemporary artists. Between 2013 and 2017, Bruce Munro had a residency at Waddesdon Manor, beginning with the music and light piece Cantus Arcticus in the Coach House Gallery in 2013. Winter Light (2013), with its distinctive wigwam-type structures sited in
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4158-413: The Manor, creating a dialogue between his work and the historical interiors. In 2015, artist Joana Vasconcelos was commissioned to install two sculptures entitled Lafite in front of the Manor. In 2016, Kate Malone exhibited a collection of new work inspired by the people, gardens, collections, and archive. Two portrait pots of Baron Ferdinand and Alice de Rothschild by Malone remain on display at
4257-476: The Manor. Prior to the construction of Waddesdon Manor, no house existed on the site. Ferdinand de Rothschild wanted a house in the style of the great Renaissance châteaux of the Loire Valley . Ferdinand chose as his architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur . Destailleur was already experienced in working in this style, having overseen the restoration of many châteaux in that region, in particular that of
4356-673: The Renaissance collection for his small museum in the New Smoking Room. This collection was bequeathed to the British Museum and is now known as the Waddesdon Bequest . The interior of Waddesdon Manor was photographed in 1897 for Baron Ferdinand's privately published The Red Book . Subsequent members of the family added noted collections of paintings, Limoges enamel , arms and armour, maiolica , manuscripts, prints and drawings. Waddesdon's internationally famous collection has thus been formed principally by four members of
4455-526: The Rothschild family: Baron Ferdinand (1839–1898), his sister Alice de Rothschild (1847–1922), their cousin Edmond James de Rothschild (1845–1934) and Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild (1936–2024). Baron Ferdinand wanted a garden to entertain his guests during his weekend house parties. To make the gardens, extensive landscaping of the hill was carried out, including leveling the top of
4554-455: The alternation of rubies and pearls", except where "a single sapphire interrupts this rhythm" above God the Father. Blue, an important enamel colour in other works, is almost entirely absent here, perhaps so as not to overshadow the large sapphires. Other techniques are also used with a great degree of skill; the large figures on the rear are chased, with St Michael's wings being represented on
4653-700: The arches of the castle are semicircular, and in fact the whole reliquary lacks any Gothic pointed arches, even among the tracery—a sign of advanced artistic taste at the time. In this respect the Holy Thorn Reliquary contrasts strongly with the Tableau of the Trinity in the Louvre (possibly made in London), whose framework is a forest of crocketed Gothic pinnacles , although estimates of its date cover
4752-427: The back of the castle base, which has apparently had another arched "leg" in the centre crudely removed, leaving a jagged edge, and also making the reliquary rather less stable. The maker of the work is unknown; it is not signed or marked, and goldsmiths of the period rarely did this. There are a number of goldsmiths' names known from accounts and other records, but none of the few surviving works can be attached to
4851-460: The benefit of the general public. Unusually for a National Trust property, the family of James Rothschild, the donor, manage the house. The Rothschild Foundation, chaired by Dame Hannah Rothschild continues to invest in the property. In 1874, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bought the Waddesdon agricultural estate from the Duke of Marlborough with money inherited from his father Anselm . Rothschild
4950-489: The creation of his garden cost £153,000, which (in terms of average wages then and in 2015) equates to £68.8 million. After her brother's death Alice brought the care she had taken with her garden at Eythrope to Waddesdon. Alice was a keen gardener with a good understanding of flowers and plants; she would often walk around and weed the paths. With her head gardener, George Frederick Johnson who worked at Waddesdon from 1905 to 1954, Alice grew flowers for competition. Alice
5049-566: The death of his older brother Charles V in 1380, the latter's son and heir, Charles VI was a minor, so John and his brothers, along with the king's maternal uncle the Duke of Bourbon acted as regents. He was also appointed Lieutenant General in Languedoc in November of the same year, where he was forced to deal with the Harelle , a peasants' revolt spurred by heavy taxation in support of
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#17327652028795148-415: The duke bided their time, and were soon able to retake power, in 1392, when the king had his first attack of insanity, an affliction which would remain with him throughout his life. In the 1390s, the dukes of Berry and Burgundy would jockey for royal favor against the Duke of Orléans, Charles VI's brother. In April of 1401, while the Duke of Orléans was away from court, King Charles VI's uncles made him sign
5247-800: The duke’s auspices, this model of elegance reflected many of the artistic tendencies of the time in its fusion of Flemish realism, of the refined Parisian style, and of Italian panel-painting techniques." Admiring the artistic productions of Jean Pucelle , John employed several well-known artists such as the Limbourg Brothers , Jacquemart de Hesdin , the Master of the Brussels Initials , and André Beauneveu . His curiosity to illumination and patronage led to much success on preserving and absorbing talented miniaturist painters. His spending on his art collection severely taxed his estates, and he
5346-497: The effect. When Baron Ferdinand died in 1898, the house passed to his sister Alice de Rothschild . She saw Waddesdon as a memorial for her brother and was committed to preserving it. She did add significant items to the collection, particularly furniture and carpets with French royal provenances, Meissen porcelain , textiles and armour . Following Alice de Rothschild's death in 1922, the property and collections passed to her French great-nephew James A. "Jimmy" de Rothschild , who
5445-399: The enamel of the Vienna version are elaborations by Weininger and his craftsmen; for example in Vienna the wings of the trumpeting angels are coloured. The two figures are in a sophisticated "soft and flowing" International Gothic style executed with great virtuosity; Michael's staff is detached from the background over most of its length and is one of a number of elements that extend outside
5544-515: The enamelled brook". One work that survived long enough to be recorded in an 18th-century painting had a very similar gold castle as its base, with a paradisal garden within the walls, in this case with trees bearing pearls and red gems. However the rest of the piece was very different in scale, with a single large white enamel figure of the Archangel Michael impaling Satan with a lance-like jewelled cross, completely out of scale with
5643-431: The extra enamel in Vienna is opaque, including the saints' figures, and the effect of the more intense colours is "lurid" and "offends our eyes because of its crudity". When the pin is removed and the small doors opened, there is now nothing to see but "a flat layer of plaster, with a sheet of nineteenth-century paper or vellum in front of it". Whatever was designed to be displayed has now gone; it must have been flat, and
5742-404: The few surviving large enamels in ronde bosse dated to the period beginning about 1380 and ending about 1410, used as here for both the clothes and flesh of the figures. Gold is used for their hair, and other enamel colours are mostly used at the neck and cuffs to demarcate between white robes and white flesh; "throughout, colour is used in a very considered way"; "a controlled use of red includes
5841-440: The flat surface of the door in delicate stippled or pointillé work using punches , which is too detailed to see in most photographs, and indeed hard to see on the original. Michael's body is also feathered, stopping at the neck, ankles and wrists, a "most exceptional feature" often referred to as " feather tights ", that perhaps borrows from the costumes of liturgical dramas . Other elements were cast in small moulds, and most of
5940-467: The following children by his first wife, Joanna of Armagnac (1346–1387), whom he married in 1360: Illegitimate son by a Scottish woman: In 1389 he married his second wife, Joan II, Countess of Auvergne (c.1378-1424). John of Berry was also a notable patron who commissioned works such as the most famous Book of Hours , the Très Riches Heures . "Like other works produced on
6039-463: The frame of the door. If there was once enamel on the two figures it would have been at least mainly in more fragile translucent enamels, as the very fine working of many details of them was clearly intended to be seen. The rougher working of the surfaces at the bottom of the doors: the dragon below St Michael, the water below St Christopher, and the ground below both of these, suggests that the missing original enamels were opaque in these areas. But all
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#17327652028796138-414: The front face is based on the general resurrection of the dead following the Last Judgment . At the top sits God the Father, above two angels. A small hole at the level of their knees shows where a dove representing the Holy Spirit was originally attached; with Christ below, all three persons of the Trinity were therefore represented. A round-topped compartment protected by a rock-crystal "window" holds
6237-508: The garden in which he stands. This is the St Michael and the Devil Group , which can be reliably dated to before 1397, when it was given to King Charles VI of France , Berry's nephew, as a New Year's gift by another uncle, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. It later passed to a church at Ingolstadt in Bavaria , where it remained until it was destroyed in 1801. Berry was religious as well as worldly, and collected relics as keenly as other types of objects. By 1397 both of his sons had died, he
6336-428: The gardens of the Manor, was Munro's first solo exhibition of his large-scale pieces; Winter Light returned in 2016–2017. In 2014, Munro developed his pod-like structures, adding elements of language in Snow Code , shown in the Manor. In ...---...SOS , Munro's winter exhibition of 2015–2016, tents were lit up in tune with sound, in response to images of disaster relief . In 2012, Edmund de Waal exhibited work in
6435-413: The gardens. A notable feature is his love of 18th-century Italian pieces. The fountains to the north and south of the house include sculptures of Pluto , Proserpina , tritons and nereids originally made by Giuliano Mozani around 1720 for the Ducal Palace of Colorno . A bust of the muse Erato has been recently attributed to Filippo Parodi . A fine example of French early 18th-century sculpture
6534-408: The gemstones have the smooth and polished cabochon cut normal in medieval jewellery, and though they are set in the reliquary with gold "claws", all are drilled through as though for threading on a necklace, suggesting that they are re-used from another piece. There may have been other jewels now lost, for example mounted in two holes on either side of the door of the castle-like base. The design of
6633-407: The ground; the women wear white caps. Four angels blowing horns sound the "Last Trump" of the Book of Revelation , standing on the turrets of a tiny castle which serves as the base of the reliquary. The Last Judgement was an especially appropriate subject for setting a relic from the Crown of Thorns. Some thought that the crown was held by the French kings on loan, and would be reclaimed by Christ on
6732-454: The handful of reliquaries, like the Holy Thorn Reliquary, that have survived from the period, and as regards subject matter to tapestries and some secular illuminated manuscripts. There are extremely detailed inventories of Berry's possessions including ones from 1401–1403 and 1413–1416, however none contain an entry whose description matches the reliquary. Soon after Berry's death in 1416, the bulk of his treasures were seized and melted down by
6831-522: The hill. The gardens and landscape park were laid out by the French landscape architect Elie Lainé . An attempt was made to transplant full-grown trees by chloroforming their roots, to limit the shock. While this novel idea was unsuccessful, many very large trees were successfully transplanted. Elaborate flower beds were planted, centred on the south Parterre. Several artificial rock formations were created by James Pulham , including to house mountain goats and llamas, part of Ferdinand's zoo . Altogether,
6930-432: The level of luxury service provided by the 24 house staff. In 1890, Queen Victoria unusually requested to pay a visit. She was impressed with the beauty of the house and grounds as well as Rothschild's ability to quietly manage the day's events. She was struck by the newly installed electric lights designed to look like candles in the chandeliers, and it is reported that she asked for the room to be darkened to fully witness
7029-442: The lieutenancy of Languedoc, Berry, Auvergne, and Poitou back over to Jean de Berry. Simon of Cramaud , a canonist and prelate, served John in his efforts to find a way to end the Great Western schism that was not unfavorable to French interests. In his later years, John became a more conciliatory figure in France. After the death of Philip the Bold in 1404, he was the last surviving son of King John, and generally tried to play
7128-501: The lower floors. The house also had hot and cold running water in its bathrooms, central heating, and an electric bell system to summon the numerous servants. The building contractor was Edward Conder & Son. After the Manor was completed in 1883, Ferdinand quickly decided it was too small, as his architect had prophesied. The Bachelors' Wing to the east was extended after 1885 and the Morning Room, built in late- Gothic style ,
7227-416: The only time children lived in the house. James and Dorothy also provided asylum at Waddesdon for a group of Jewish boys from Frankfurt. When James de Rothschild died in 1957, he bequeathed Waddesdon Manor, 120 acres (49 ha) of grounds and its contents to the National Trust , to be preserved for posterity. Dorothy moved to nearby Eythrope and the Manor was never again used as a residence. It opened to
7326-427: The public in 1959, with around 27,000 visitors in the first year. Dorothy chaired the new management committee in close collaboration with the National Trust and took a very keen interest in Waddesdon for the remainder of her long life. At Dorothy's death, in 1989, her nephew Jacob Rothschild inherited her position and responsibilities. At his initiative, the Manor underwent a major restoration from 1990 to 1997, and
7425-467: The relic itself and the group around Christ. Christ in Judgment is shown seated displaying the wounds of his crucifixion , with his feet resting on the globe of the world, and making a blessing gesture. As with all the enamelled figures that are still extant, the hair is in gold, the main robe is in white, and the flesh is in white with coloured eyes and lips, a touch of pink on the cheeks. Behind Christ
7524-552: The role of a peacemaker between the factions of his nephews Louis of Orléans and John the Fearless . After the murder of Orléans at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy, he generally took the Orléanist or Armagnac side in the civil war that erupted, but was always a moderate figure, attempting to reconcile the two sides and promote internal peace. It was largely due to John's urging that Charles VI and his sons were not present at
7623-405: The same period as the reliquary. The rear face is plainer, with no jewels, but still highly decorated; Cherry speculates that it may originally have been much more simple and not designed for viewing, with most of the other elements added after it was originally made. At the top is a medallion with the face of Christ set in a sunburst . The central round-topped area contains two doors, secured with
7722-471: The structural framework. The jewels, which would have been keenly appreciated by contemporary viewers, include two large sapphires, one above God the Father at the very top of the reliquary, where it may have represented heaven, and the other below Christ, on which the thorn is mounted. The gold elements framing God the Father and the central compartment with Christ and the thorn are decorated with alternating rubies and pearls, totalling fourteen of each. All
7821-581: The supreme achievements of medieval European metalwork", and was a highlight of the exhibition Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe at the British Museum from June 23 to October 2011. King Louis IX of France bought what he believed to be the authentic Crown of Thorns in Constantinople in 1239, and individual thorns were distributed as gifts by subsequent French kings. John, Duke of Berry (1340–1416), brother of King Charles V of France , had this reliquary made to house
7920-556: The terms of the Waddesdon Bequest the reliquary cannot leave the museum; in 2011 it was omitted from the Cleveland and Baltimore legs of the exhibition Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe . Normally it is on display in Room 45, the dedicated Waddesdon Bequest Room, as specified in the terms of the bequest. The Holy Thorn Reliquary is made of gold, enamel , rock crystal , pearls, rubies and sapphires. It
8019-449: The visible gold has been burnished to give a smooth and shining appearance. Jean, duc de Berry (1340–1416), or the "excellent puissant Prince Jehan filz de roy de France Duc de Berry" ("excellent and powerful prince Jean, son of the king of France, Duke of Berry"), as his secretary inscribed one of his manuscripts, was the third of the four sons of King John II of France — Charles V , Louis I, Duke of Anjou (1339–1384), Berry and Philip
8118-578: The visitor attractions were enhanced, including the creation of the Waddesdon Wine Cellars. Until his death in February 2024, Jacob Rothschild chaired the family charity handling Waddesdon's management, the Rothschild Foundation. Waddesdon Manor operates as an independent organisation within the National Trust. From 2004 to 2006, the Baron's Room and Green Boudoir were restored to reflect Baron Ferdinand's original arrangements. In 2003
8217-449: The war effort against the English. Following the death of Louis of Anjou in 1384, John and his brother, the Duke of Burgundy, were the dominant figures in the kingdom. The king ended the regency and took power into his own hands in 1388, giving the governance of the kingdom largely to his father's former ministers, who were political enemies of the king's powerful uncles. John was also stripped of his offices in Languedoc at that time. John and
8316-434: The windows of the towers at Waddesdon were glazed, unlike those of the staircase at Chambord. They are also far more ornate. The structural design of Waddesdon was not entirely retrospective. Hidden from view were the most modern innovations of the late 19th century including a steel frame, which took the strain of walls on the upper floors, and which consequently permitted the layout of these floors to differ completely from
8415-508: Was added to the west after 1888. The stables to the west of the Manor were built in 1884. Ferdinand and his stud groom devised the plan, working with Conder. Destailleur designed the façades in a French 17th-century style. The Wine Cellars in the Manor were created during the Centenary Restoration and opened in 1994. They are modelled on the private cellars at Château Lafite Rothschild . More than 15,000 bottles are stored in
8514-434: Was also a keen animal lover. He stocked the aviary with exotic birds and enjoyed feeding them for his guests. The aviary's paint and gilding were restored in 2003 and it now houses endangered species with a focus on breeding programs. It is a registered zoo . In Ferdinand's time, there was a large kitchen garden and extensive glass houses growing fruit and flowers, including Ferdinand's beloved orchids . They were near
8613-738: Was deeply in debt when he died in 1416 at Paris. Works created for him include the manuscripts known as the Très Riches Heures , the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry and (parts of) the Turin-Milan Hours . Goldsmith's work includes the Holy Thorn Reliquary and Royal Gold Cup , both in the British Museum . The web site of the Louvre says of him: By his exacting taste, by his tireless search for artists, from Jacquemart de Hesdin to
8712-821: Was designed by Skene Catling de la Peña. It won RIBA House of the Year in 2015. In 2012, it was announced that Waddesdon Manor would be one of the sites for Jubilee Woodlands, designated by the Woodland Trust to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . Many films have been shot at Waddesdon Manor, including the Carry On film Don't Lose Your Head (1966); Never Say Never Again (1983); An Ideal Husband (1999); Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Ladies in Lavender (2004); Ripley Under Ground (2005); The Queen (2006); The Mummy: Tomb of
8811-485: Was donated to the church had a better chance of surviving than the similar secular works that are now only known from their descriptions in inventories, where scenes of courtly pleasure were depicted with portrait figures of the princes and their friends. A work belonging to Berry's elder brother Anjou showed the romance of Tristan and Isolde , with King Mark spying on the lovers from a tree above them, giving himself away when they see "the enamelled reflection of his face in
8910-417: Was familiar with the estate from fox hunting in the locality. At the time of purchase, the estate had no house, park or garden. The site of the future Manor House was a bare hill. Known as Lodge Hill, it had been stripped of its timber by the impoverished Duke of Marlborough prior to the sale. Over the following three years, the summit of the hill was levelled; eventually, on 18 August 1877, the foundation stone
9009-650: Was in his late fifties, and he had begun to think of his tomb, finally deciding to build a new "Sainte Chapelle" in his capital of Bourges to house it. His collection of relics included objects claimed to be the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary , a cup used at the Wedding at Cana , a piece of the Burning Bush , the body of a child murdered by Herod during the Massacre of the Innocents , and many others. However
9108-498: Was laid. The first house party was held in May 1880 with seven of Rothschild's close male friends enjoying a fireworks display. When, finally, the main house was ready in 1883, Rothschild invited 20 guests to stay. Before his premature death in 1898, on weekends between May and September Rothschild was host to many important guests including the future king Edward VII . House parties usually involved 14 to 20 guests. Guests commented on
9207-587: Was later thought to have been in the possession of Louis I, Duke of Orléans , but all recent writers prefer his uncle, the Duke of Berry. Its location is unknown until an inventory of 1544, when it belonged to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V , perhaps as an inheritance from his ancestors the Valois Dukes of Burgundy . It presumably passed to the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs on Charles V's death, as it
9306-415: Was married to an English woman, Dorothy Pinto . James further enriched the Manor with objects from the collections of his late father Baron Edmond James de Rothschild of Paris. James and Dorothy hosted a Liberal Party rally at Waddesdon in 1928, where David Lloyd George addressed the crowd. During World War II, children under the age of five were evacuated from Croydon and lived at Waddesdon Manor,
9405-799: Was named king's lieutenant of Auvergne , Languedoc , Périgord , and Poitou to administer those regions in his father's name while the king was a captive of the English. When Poitiers was ceded to England in 1360, his father granted John the newly raised duchies of Berry and Auvergne. By the terms of the Treaty of Brétigny , signed that May, John became a hostage of the English Crown and remained in England until 1369. Upon his return to France, his brother, now King Charles V, appointed him lieutenant general for Berry, Auvergne, Bourbonnais , Forez , Sologne , Touraine , Anjou , Maine , and Normandy . Upon
9504-474: Was one venue celebrating the work of Henry Moore in 2015 and Eliot Hodgkin in 2019. New works of art have been acquired by the Rothschild Foundation to complement the existing collections at Waddesdon, such as Le Faiseur de Châteaux de Cartes by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin , added in 2007. There has also been a programme of engagement with contemporary artists, beginning with Angus Fairhurst represented by Arnolfini in 2009. Works have been sited near
9603-408: Was perhaps another relic, probably a textile, or a picture on vellum. The Veil of Veronica , in either form, is a possibility; the face of Christ at the top in a circular setting often represents this. Outside the doors the foliate border of the front is continued, uninterrupted by figures. Below two of the angels with trumpets can be seen, with an unpopulated stretch of the green hillside, and below it
9702-474: Was responsible for introducing three-dimensional bedding in the shape of a bird, recreated in the gardens today. Under James , the gardens were less impressive. The South Parterre was grassed over in the 1930s. It was replanted with flowers for the opening of the house under the National Trust in 1959. As part of the 1990s restoration, Beth Rothschild led a team reintroducing Ferdinand's colour scheme of trees , shrubs and bedding plants . The carpet bedding
9801-548: Was still not realised that he had returned one of his copies of the reliquary to the Imperial collections instead of the original. The Viennese Rothschild family bought the original reliquary by 1872, in ignorance of its provenance ; it was inherited by Ferdinand de Rothschild, who moved to England, and built Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire . One of the copies remained in the Ecclesiastical Treasury of
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