A gold box that was stolen in a dramatic raid by a masked gang at Waddesdon Manor has been recovered, nearly two decades later. 

At around 2am on on Tuesday, June 10, 2003, a gang in blue boiler suits smashed their way into the Rothschild house and within minues, had made off with more than 100 gold boxes and other high value precious objects. 

Very few of the stolen items - mainly 18th century French pieces, as well as some English - have ever been recovered. 

But one of the stolen gold boxes - a French bonbonniere dated 1775-1781 and made in Paris - turned up at a UK regional auction house in August 2021. 

The auction house subscribes to the Art Loss Register (ALR), which provides due diligence checks on items that come up for sale. 

As soon as the box was identified, ALR alerted staff at Waddesdon, who checked the images and other details and confirmed it was in fact one of the boxes stolen 19 years ago. 

The auction house was also notified and Thames Valley Police was contacted for further investigation. 

Now, the box has been rightfully returned to its home at Waddesdon and will go on display from April 27 in the Rothschild Treasury, a gallery that houses more than 300 objects made from rare and precious materials. 

The small circular gold boxes were personal accessories, kept in a pocket, in a boudoir or salon, and used for sweets.

Often embellished with painted or enamelled scenes, the one that has now been returned  has a miniature of an unknown woman holding a basket of roses on its lid.

It is decorated with gold piqué (inlaid) stars on a dark blue ground and has a tortoiseshell interior.

Staff at Waddesdon are rightfully thrilled to have one of the stolen pieces back. 

Pippa Shirley, Director of Collections, Historic properties and Landscapes at Waddesdon, said: “I am absolutely delighted that this box has returned, and very grateful to the Art Loss Register for its part in its successful recovery.

"The 2003 theft was deeply traumatic for everyone at Waddesdon – I remember it vividly - and this feels such a positive outcome and gives us hope that the other boxes may yet come back to us.

"It is also such a happy coincidence that it should reappear in the year in which we are celebrating Alice de Rothschild and her extraordinary contribution to the collections here.”

Lucy O’Meara, an expert on country house thefts and recovery specialist at the ALR, added: “I am thrilled to see the box returned to Waddesdon Manor.

"It is an honour to assist in returning a small part of the house’s cultural history to its rightful place and I am hopeful that the remaining boxes will be reunited with the National Trust collection very soon.”

Many of the items snatched in the theft are still missing. They include a number of snuffboxes and other boxes, a scent bottle, a French locket from around 1783-1789, miniature paintings, a pocket watch, gold rings and a porcelain vase. 

You can see the full list of stolen items at images.waddesdon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/List-of-stolen-boxes-for-website-updated-March-2022.pdf

If you can help find any of the missing items and have any useful information, contact the ALR at info@artloss.com.