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16th – 17th centuries AD
The Waddesdon Bequest is a collection of nearly 300 precious art objects from Renaissance Europe. It was bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, M.P., when he died in 1898. The Bequest is named after Waddesdon Manor, the mansion he built in Buckinghamshire, England, where the collection was housed during his lifetime.
Holy Thorn Reliquary of Jean, duc de Berry, AD 1400-10 More information
Holy Thorn Reliquary of Jean, duc de Berry, AD 1400-10
Rosary bead, AD 1500-30 More information
Rosary bead, AD 1500-30
The Lyte Jewel, AD 1610-11 More information
The Lyte Jewel, AD 1610-11
Silver-gilt ewer and basin, mid-16th century AD More information
Silver-gilt ewer and basin, mid-16th century AD
The collection was accumulated by Baron Ferdinand and by his father, Baron Anselm, and was intended to rival those put together by rulers and princes from the Renaissance onwards. It is mainly made up of small-scale, rare and precious pieces of the highest quality which were intended to inspire a sense of curiosity and wonder.
Objects on display in Room 45 include masterpieces of goldsmiths' work, painted enamels, glass and ceramics, sculpture and small carvings in wood.
See this gallery on the floor plan
Alabaster head
Colouring book of stained glass, £3.99
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