Subscribe
Search
ePaper
Newsletters
Subscribe
ePaper
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Search
Books
review

Book delves into the Rothschild collection of bizarre objects associated with death and dying

The collection was assembled by baroness Henri de Rothschild

Aldo Scardinelli
13 December 2018
Share
A 19th-century ivory okimono Courtesy of the Musée des arts décoratifs © Felipe Ribon

A 19th-century ivory okimono Courtesy of the Musée des arts décoratifs © Felipe Ribon

The baroness Henri de Rothschild (1874-1926) was in almost every respect an unexceptional member the haute juiverie of the Belle Epoque. Although her husband was a doctor, rather than a banker, the couple nevertheless conformed to the traditional Rothschild pursuits of collecting and philanthropy. She was, however, highly unusual in the nature of her collection: prints, paintings, statues, objets d'art (here a 19th-century ivory okimono, an object for display) and bibelots – netsuke, rosaries, walking sticks, tie pins, incense burners - all of which related to death, deaths heads, skeletons, corpses, vanities and memento moris. The writers of this catalogue (Même Pas Peur! means something like You don’t scare me!) that accompanied the exhibition of these objects at the Fondation Bemberg, Toulouse, earlier this year, admit that there is no evidence to explain why the baroness chose to collect these items. Nevertheless, for those with a taste for the gout macabre, this is a volume not to be missed.

  • Sophie Motsch, ed, Même Pas Peur! Collection de la baronne Henri de Rothschild, Somogy, 176pp, €35 (hb)
BooksReviewBook ShortsRothschildVanitasDeath
Share

Related content

Book Shortsreview

Book of discarded family pictures reminds us of our mortality

Personal collection of anonymous photographs made from Kodachrome slides shows the transience of our lives

Aldo Scardinelli
Booksreview

First book on art collection of the draughtsman and cult figure Edward Gorey

Gorey inexplicably left his collection to the Wadsworth Atheneum

Aldo Scardinelli
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
LinkedIn
© The Art Newspaper