Lord Rothschild shares his insight about Il Guercino's King David painting in an interview with Tanya Gold. The Baroque masterpiece now resides at Waddesdon Manor.
Rothschild believes that the painting holds a personal significance for him due to his relationship with great art and artists.
The painting, which depicts King David holding a stone inscribed with a verse from Psalm 86, is an exceptional portrayal of the king in a formal and regal pose. Rothschild's decision to bring the painting to Waddesdon Manor from Spencer House in London, which he leased from Lord Spencer for the Rothschild Investment Trust, where it had hung since he bought it in 2010, was not an easy one, but he believed that it belonged there more than anywhere else.
Rothschild is a direct descendant of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, a coin dealer who founded the Rothschild banking dynasty, which comprises of five sons. The family is well-known for its philanthropy and advocacy for Jews.
Rothschilds have been instrumental in the establishment of the Jewish state and the rescue of Jewish children from Nazi Germany. Waddesdon Manor was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957 by Rothschild's great-uncle James, but the Rothschild Foundation manages it. Photo by Christie's, LotFinder: entry 5339046, Wikimedia commons.