In recent months, Rose Hanbury has become a trending topic again with the resurfacing of her rumors of an affair with Prince William, which has made natizens around the world attentive to every detail of her life, even the origin of her home furniture.
On social networks, netizens have much to say when images arise of Houghton Hall, the 18th-century estate where the Marquise live with her husband and three children, as they found specific pieces of oriental decor, which suggest that they may have been pillaged from China during the late Qing Dynasty, at the end of the XIX century.
According to various posts on social networks, her husband, Marquis David Rocksavage, inherited the Chinese furniture from the Sassoons, of which he is a descendant. A post from Xiaohongshu said, “The Sassoons started to accumulate their wealth by looting late Qing China“.
https://twitter.com/sugabelly/status/1769901556302794886
Although many details could confirm the Sassoons’ actions, it is unclear whether they acquired items through purchase or theft. However, his dealings with China coincide with the ‘century of humiliation’ from 1839 to 1945, marked by looting, most notably of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing by British and French soldiers.
The popularity of Rose Hanbury and her home has revived calls for the return of foreign artifacts possibly misappropriated in the UK. As well, museums with collections donated by the Sassoons suffer accusations of housing numerous looted Chinese artifacts.
