Creatures & Creations

Mary Katrantzou The fashion designer Mary Katrantzou conceived and created these couture dresses, also inspired by the collections of Walter Rothschild at the Natural History Museum, Tring, and using the same 14 species as source material.

Mary was born in Athens. She established her namesake brand in 2008, after studying Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design (USA) and graduating with a BA in Textile design and an MA in Fashion from Central Saint Martins (London). Her graduation show in 2008, which featured trompe l’oeil prints of oversized jewellery on jersey-bonded dresses, took the fashion industry by storm.

Mary was dubbed "The Queen of Print" by the press, a recognition of the enormous influence of her printed textiles. Her work changed the face of 21st-century fashion, inspiring haute couture and high street designers alike. She has since expanded the complexity of her textiles beyond print, translating her signature aesthetic to knitted fabrics, digital craftsmanship, lace, and a focus on form.

Rothschild Collections

Prestigious collaborations have included capsule ranges with Longchamp, Moncler, and Adidas Originals. Mary has also collaborated with artist Pablo Bronstein at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, designed costumes for the New York City Ballet and the Paris Opéra and exhibited her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

You can find a range of new products by both Platon H and Mary Katrantzou, inspired by Walter’s collections and designed specifically for the exhibition in the exhibition shop and on-line © Mary Katrantzou

Waddesdon Manor, Near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP18 0JH 01296 820414 www.waddesdon.org.uk

Walter worked at the family bank until he retired aged 40 to dedicate his life to his collection, the museum and scientific research. He was MP for Aylesbury for 11 years and as senior member of the most prominent Jewish family in the country, actively supported the Jewish community. He was also the recipient of the Balfour Declaration, a letter sent by the Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, in 1917, which was a promise by the British Government to support the idea of a Jewish national home in Palestine. The centenary of the Declaration is commemorated in a display in the Manor, which includes a copy of the letter.

Left: Walter Rothschild driving one of his zebras. Below: Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild with an Ibis at the Aviary, c. 1890; Waddesdon (National Trust) Bequest of Dorothy de Rothschild,1988. acc. no. 2853. Photo: © National Trust, Waddesdon Manor; Aviary at Waddesdon Manor. Photo: Chris Lacey © National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Walter began collecting insects and other specimens as a child and later kept a menagerie at his country house, Tring Park, including giant tortoises, kangaroos, zebras, emus and cassowaries (about which he wrote a book). He took a flock of kiwis to university with him. For his 21st birthday, his parents gave him his own museum at Tring, where the collection could grow and be shown to the public. It opened in 1892 with public galleries, and a research collection of birds and insects for scientific study.

As his niece Miriam Rothschild wrote “he amassed the greatest collection of animals ever assembled by one man ranging from starfish to gorillas. It included 2,250,000 set butterflies and moths, 300,000 bird skins, 144 giant tortoise, 200,000 birds’ eggs and 30,000 scientific books. He with his assistants described 5,000 new species and published over 1,200 books and papers based on his collections”. He famously trained zebras to pull his carriage, and was fascinated by Galapagos tortoises.

Platon H (born Platon Alexis Hadjimichalis in 1950), had a vibrant and intellectual upbringing in Paris and Athens. Growing up surrounded by artists, Platon was taught how to ‘use his hands’ to a creative end by his architect father and archeologist mother.

As a young man, he embarked on a career as a diplomat, but remained devoted to his art.

As with many fine artists, Platon’s artistic practice began with drawing - abstract forms influenced in part by mathematical patterns and ancient mosaics. In the 1980s, inspired by seaweed left by the retreating tide, he turned to organic materials.

Today, Platon describes himself as an ‘eco artist and naturoplasticien’. Using timeless organic materials, many of which are easily overlooked in their natural habitats, he creates works that explore time, death and the innate potential for abstraction in Nature.

This exhibition was born from Platon’s discovery, a decade ago, of the extraordinary collection assembled by Walter Rothschild.

Inspired by Walter’s passion and expertise, and the creatures that bear his name, Platon has transformed their feathers, wings and carapaces into transcendental abstract digital collages.

His work has been shown across Europe, the United States of America and North Africa.

Rothschildi by Platon Alexis Hadjimichalis. © Platon Alexis Hadjimichalis © Trustees of the Natural History Museum

The specimens that have inspired the contemporary art and design in this exhibition have an intriguing association with the Rothschild family, as they share the Latin form of the family name, Rothschildi, in their scientific names. This is thanks to the life and work of Walter, 2nd Lord Rothschild (1868-1937), nephew of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (who built Waddesdon Manor), who dedicated his life to the natural sciences. Not only was he an extraordinary, eccentric human being but also an outstanding naturalist. His knowledge and reputation in the scientific community was so great that many newly discovered creatures and plants, from fleas to giraffes, were subsequently named after him.

Platon H

The Rothschilds and natural history Walter is the most famous, but not the only member of the Rothschild family to be fascinated by natural history. Here at Waddesdon, his uncle Ferdinand had a small menagerie and a fully-stocked Aviary, and bred prize-winning orchids in his glass houses. The Aviary is working today as one of Europe’s smallest zoos and plays an important part in international breeding programmes to conserve critically endangered species, such as the Rothschild mynah. Walter’s brother, Charles, created a large collection of fleas, which his daughter, Miriam, studied and catalogued, becoming a leading authority. She was also an environmental pioneer in the conservation of natural habitats.