Les Rothschild et la porcelaine de Sèvres : une passion de collectionneurs au cœur d’une exposition à Paris
An exhibition at the Galerie des Gobelins du Mobilier national in Paris explores the Rothschild family's centuries-long passion for Sèvres porcelain. Titled "Sèvres, une passion Rothschild. De la Villa Ephrussi à Paris," it traces how the banking dynasty collected, traded, and bequeathed these delicate objects from the Ancien Régime, with a centerpiece table setting featuring pieces lent by family members from Vienna, England, and beyond. The show also highlights Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, who amassed thousands of pieces and left them to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, and includes a section on the Nazi looting of Rothschild collections in 1940, during which 22 Sèvres pieces were acquired by the Musée de Sèvres.
This exhibition matters because it intertwines art collecting with social history, showing how the Rothschilds used Sèvres porcelain to claim a place in French aristocratic culture from which they had long been excluded. It also addresses the painful legacy of Nazi spoliation, revealing how even prestigious museums profited from the family's dispossession. By presenting both the splendor and the shadow of this collection, the show offers a nuanced view of how art, wealth, and power intersect across generations.