Marie Antoinette's writing table positioned in the Tower Drawing Room

Art & architecture, Behind the scenes

Open Furniture spotlighting Riesener

Until 31 Oct 2021, Wed-Sun

11-4pm

House

Free with house and grounds admission

See remarkable pieces of furniture in the collection in a new way as they are opened up throughout September and October.

Protected from light and dust, ordinarily Waddesdon’s furniture remains closed. Throughout September and October join us as doors and drawers are pulled open to reveal seldom-seen interiors; offering the opportunity to view Waddesdon’s remarkable furniture in a new way.

This year the spotlight is on the magnificent collection of furniture by the eighteenth-century artisan Jean-Henri Riesener, who became cabinet-maker to the French crown, furnishing the Palace of Versailles and other royal palaces with over 700 pieces of furniture throughout the 1770s.

Baron Ferdinand and Alice de Rothschild were part of a new generation of collectors in the late nineteenth century who were particularly interested in the authenticity and provenance of their Riesener furniture. Between them, they assembled no fewer than 11 pieces of furniture by Riesener, one of the finest collections in the world.

Follow a trail through the House and be introduced to the brilliance and technical modernity of his creations. Download the trail or pick one up as you enter the House.

Download the trail

Jean-Henri Riesener: Cabinetmaker to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette

Waddesdon has recently completed a five year research project with the Wallace Collection and the Royal Collection on the furniture of Jean-Henri Riesener, resulting in a new book, the first ever devoted to him, edited by the curators of the three collections. £41.67