Victoria and Albert Museum
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2008-07-13T22:04:51Z
Ninetyone
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The museum is a [[Non-Departmental Public Body]] sponsored by the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]].
{{infobox London museum
|name= The Victoria and Albert Museum
|image= Facade.7.jpg
|established= [[1852]]
|collection= 4.6 million objects
|area= 12.5 acres / 145 galleries
|location= [[Cromwell Gardens]], [[South Kensington]], [[London]]
|visitors= 2,400,000 (2006) <ref>[http://www.alva.org.uk/visitor_statistics/ Visitor Statistics: ALVA — Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, England, Wales, Scotland, UK]</ref>
|director= [[Mark Jones (museum director)|Mark Jones]]
|tube= [[South Kensington tube station|South Kensington]]
|website= [http://www.vam.ac.uk/ www.vam.ac.uk]}}
The '''Victoria and Albert Museum''' (often abbreviated as the '''V&A''') in [[London]] is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. Now named after [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] and [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]], it was founded in [[1852]] as the '''South Kensington Museum''', the V&A has since grown to now cover some {{convert|12.5|acre|km2|2}}<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/futureplan/index.html FuturePlan - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every medium, from the cultures of [[History of Europe|Europe]], [[Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas|North America]], [[Eastern world|Asia]] and [[Culture of North Africa|North Africa]]. The museum is a [[Non-Departmental Public Body]] sponsored by the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]].
The holdings of [[Ceramics (art)|ceramics]], [[glass]], [[textile]]s, [[costume]]s, silver, [[ironwork]], [[jewellery]], [[furniture]], [[Middle Ages|medieval]] objects, [[sculpture]], [[Old master print|prints]] and [[printmaking]], [[drawing]]s and [[photograph]]s are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world. The museum possesses the world's largest collection of post-[[Classical antiquity|classical]] sculpture, the holdings of [[Italian Renaissance]] items are the largest outside [[Italy]]. The departments of Asia include art from [[South Asia]], [[China]], [[Japan]], [[Korea]] and the [[Islamic world]]. The [[East Asia]]n collections are among the best in Europe, with particular strengths in ceramics and [[metalwork]], while the Islamic collection, alongside the [[Musée du Louvre]] and [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], New York, is amongst the largest in the world.
Alongside other neighbouring institutions, including the [[Natural History Museum]] and [[Science Museum]], the V&A is located in what is termed London's "[[Albertopolis]]", an area of immense cultural, scientific and educational importance. Since 2001, the Museum has embarked on a major £150m renovation program<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/entertainment/1937015.stm BBC News | ARTS | V&A to have £150m facelift<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> which has seen a major overhaul of the departments including the introduction of newer galleries, gardens, shops and visitor facilities. Following in similar vein to other national UK museums, entrance to the museum has been free since 2001.
==History==
===Foundation===
The V&A has its origins in [[The Great Exhibition]] of 1851, with which [[Henry Cole]] the museum's first director was involved in planning; initially it was known as The Museum of Manufactures,<ref>page 16, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> first opening in May 1852 at [[Marlborough House]], but by September had been transferred to [[Somerset House]]. At this stage the collections covered both applied art and science.<ref>page 248, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref> Several of the exhibits from the Exhibition were purchased to form the nucleus of the collection.<ref>page 19, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> By February 1854 discussions were underway to transfer the museum to the current site<ref>page 22, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> and it was renamed as the South Kensington Museum. In 1855 the German architect [[Gottfried Semper]], at the request of Cole, produced a design for the museum, but was rejected by the [[Board of Trade]] as too expensive.<ref>''Gottfried Semper: Architect of the Nineteenth Century'', page 226, Harry Francis Mallgrave 1996 </ref> The site was occupied by Brompton Park House, this was extended including the first refreshment rooms opened in 1857, the museum being the first in the world to provide such a facility.<ref>page 30, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> The official opening by [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] was on [[22 June]] [[1857]].<ref>page 99, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref> In the following year, late night openings were introduced, made possible by the use of gas lighting. This was to enable in the words of Cole "to ascertain practically what hours are most convenient to the working classes"<ref>page 35, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> — this was linked to the use of the collections of both applied art and science as educational resources to help boost productive industry.<ref>page 248, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref> In these early years the practical use of the collection was very much emphasised as opposed to that of "High Art" at the [[National Gallery (London)|National Gallery]] and scholarship at the [[British Museum]].<ref>page 97, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref> This led to the transfer to the museum of The School of Design that had been founded in 1837 at [[Somerset House]], after the transfer it was referred to as the Art School or Art Training School, later to become the [[Royal College of Art]] which finally achieved full independence in 1949. From the 1860s to the 1880s the scientific collections had been moved from the main museum site to various improvised galleries to the west of [[Exhibition Road]].<ref>page 248, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref> In 1893 the "Science Museum" had effectively come into existence when a separate director was appointed.<ref>page 252, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref>
The laying of the foundation stone to the left of the main entrance of the Aston Webb building, on [[17 May]] [[1899]]<ref>page 252, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> was the last official public appearance by Queen Victoria. It was during this ceremony that the change of name from the '''South Kensington Museum''' to the '''Victoria and Albert Museum''' was made public.
The exhibition which the Museum organised to celebrate the [[centennial]] of the 1899 renaming, "A Grand Design," first toured in [[North America]] from 1997 ([[Baltimore Museum of Art]], [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]], [[Royal Ontario Museum]], [[Toronto]], [[Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]] and the [[Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]]), returning to London in 1999.<ref name="ArtMag">{{cite web |url= http://www.artmag.com/museums/a_greab/agblova/agblova5.html |title= "A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum." |format= [[html]] |work= ArtMag.com |quote= }}</ref> To accompany and support the exhibition, the Museum published a book, ''Grand Design,'' which it has made available for reading online on its website.<ref name="Grand Design">{{cite web |url= http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1159_grand_design/ |title= A Grand Design: A History of the Victoria and Albert Museum. |format= [[html]] |work= Victoria and Albert Museum |quote= This microsite has been adapted from the book ''A Grand Design — The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum'' which was published to support the exhibition of the same name. To reflect the structure of the book the site is divided into essays, listed in the navigation to the left of the screen. Each essay contains the relevant illustrations and is followed by the images of objects and their catalogue entries from the book. Footnotes follow at the end of each essay. Authors of essays and catalogue entries are credited with each piece. }}</ref>
===1900–1950===
[[Image:Victoria and Albert 1 Simon Fieldhouse.jpg|thumb|220px|Victoria and Albert Museum — Front Elevation]]
The opening ceremony for the Aston Webb building by [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|King Edward VII]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]] took place on [[26 June]] [[1909]].<ref>page 246, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> In 1914 the construction commenced of the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]] signalling the final split of the science and art collections,<ref>pages 254, Survey of London XXXVIII: The Museums area of South Kensington and Westminster, F.H.W. Sheppard Editor 1975</ref> since then the museum has maintained its role of one of the world's greatest decorative arts collections. At the outbreak of [[World War II]] most of the collection was packed away and sent either to an underground quarry in Wiltshire, [[Montacute House]] in Somerset, or to a disused tunnel near [[Aldwych tube station]] with larger items remaining in situ being sand bagged and bricked in.<ref>page 269, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> During the war some of the galleries were used between 1941 and 1944 as a school for children evacuated from [[Gibraltar]].<ref>page 270, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> The South Court became a canteen, first for the [[Royal Air Force]] and later for Bomb Damage Repair Squads.<ref>page 270, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> Prior to the return of the collections after the war, the "Britain Can Make It" exhibition was held between September and November 1946,<ref>[http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/learning/designingbritain/html/bcmi_intro.html Designing Britain - BCMI Introduction<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> attracting nearly a million and a half visitors.<ref> page 58 ''A Tonic to the Nation: The Festival of Britain 1951'', Mary Banham & Bevis Hillier Editors 1976</ref> This was organised and held under the auspices of the Council of Industrial Design which had been established by central government in 1944 "to promote by all practicable means the improvement of design in the products of British industry";<ref>page 58, A Tonic to the Nation: The Festival of Britain 1951, Mary Banham & Bevis Hillier Editors, 1976</ref> the success of this exhibition led to the planning of the [[Festival of Britain]]. By 1948 most of the collections had been returned to the museum.
===Since 1950===
[[Image:VandA Rotunda.jpg|thumb|left|In 2000, a 11 metre high, blown glass [[chandelier]] by [[Dale Chihuly]] was installed as a focal point in the rotunda at the V&A's main entrance.]]
In July 1973 - as part of its outreach programme to young people - the V&A became the first museum in Britain to present a rock concert. The V&A presented a combined concert/lecture by British progressive folk-rock band [[Gryphon (band)|Gryphon]], who explored the lineage of mediaeval music and instrumentation and related how those contributed to contemporary music 500 years later. This innovative approach to bringing young people to museums was a hallmark of the Directorship of Roy Strong and was subsequently emulated by some other British museums.
In the 1980s Sir [[Roy Strong]] renamed the museum as 'The Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Museum of Art and Design'. Strong's successor [[Elizabeth Esteve-Coll]] oversaw a turbulent period for the institution in which the museum's curatorial departments were re-structured leading to public criticism from some staff. Esteve-Coll's attempts to make the V&A more accessible included a criticised marketing campaign emphasising the cafe over the collection.
In 2001 "Future Plan" was launched, which involves redesigning all the galleries and public facilities in the museum that have yet to be remodelled. This is to ensure that the exhibits are better displayed, more information is available and the Museum meets modern expectations for museum facilities; it should take about ten years to complete the work.
The museum also runs the [[V&A Museum of Childhood|Museum of Childhood]] at [[Bethnal Green]]; and the [[Museum of Performance|Theatre Museum]] in [[Covent Garden]] and used to run [[Apsley House]]. The Theatre Museum is now closed, but the V&A Theatre Collections are to be redisplayed within the South Kensington building from November 2007.
==Architecture of the Museum==
===The Victorian period===
The Victorian areas have a complex history, with piecemeal additions by different architects. Founded in May 1852, it was not until 1857 that the museum moved to the present site. This area of London was known as [[Brompton, London|Brompton]] but had been renamed [[South Kensington]]. The land was occupied by [[Brompton Park House]], which was extended, most notably by the "Brompton Boilers",<ref>page 23, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> which were starkly utilitarian iron galleries with a temporary look; they were later dismantled and used to build the V&A Museum of Childhood. The first building to be erected that still forms part of the museum was the Sheepshanks Gallery in 1857 on the eastern side of the garden<ref>page 33, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>; its architect was Captain [[Francis Fowke]]. The next major expansions were designed by the same architect, these were the Turner and Vernon galleries built 1858-9 <ref>page 39, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>(Built to house the eponymous collections, which were later transferred to the Tate Gallery, now used as the picture galleries and tapestry gallery respectively), then the North <ref>page 47, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>and South Courts <ref>page 53,The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, both of which opened by June 1862. They now form the galleries for temporary exhibitions and are directly behind the Sheepshanks Gallery. On the very northern edge of the site is situated the Secretariat Wing<ref>page 92, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, also built in 1862 this houses the offices and board room etc and is not open to the public. [[Image:Picture 203.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Ceramic Staircase - Designed by Frank Moody]] An ambitious scheme of decoration was developed for these new areas: a series of [[mosaic]] figures depicting famous European artists of the Medieval and Renaissance period were produced<ref>page 62, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. These have now been removed to other areas of the museum. Also started were a series of [[fresco]]s by [[Lord Leighton]]: ''Industrial Arts as Applied to War'' 1878–1880 and ''Industrial Arts Applied to Peace'', which was started but never finished<ref>page 71, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. To the east of this were additional galleries, the decoration of which was the work of another designer [[Owen Jones (architect)|Owen Jones]], these were the Oriental Courts (covering India, China and Japan) completed in 1863, none of this decoration survives,<ref>page 94 Owen Jones: Design, Ornament, Architecture and Theory in an Age in Transition, Carol A. Hrvol Flores 2006</ref> part of these galleries became the new galleries covering the 19th century, opened in December 2006. The last work by Fowke was the design for the range of buildings on the north and west sides of the garden, this includes the refreshment rooms, reinstated as the Museum Café in 2006, with the silver gallery above, (at the time the ceramics gallery), the top floor has a splendid lecture theatre although this is seldom open to the general public. The ceramic staircase in the northwest corner of this range of buildings was designed by F.W. Moody<ref>page 124, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>; all the architectural details are produced in moulded and coloured pottery. All the work on the north range was designed and built in 1864–1869. The style adopted for this part of the museum was [[Italian Renaissance]], much use was made of [[terracotta]], [[brick]] and mosaic, this north façade was intended as the main entrance to the museum with its bronze doors designed by James Gamble & Reuben Townroe having six panels depicting: [[Humphry Davy]] (chemistry); [[Isaac Newton]] (astronomy); [[James Watt]] (mechanics); [[Bramante]] (architecture); [[Michelangelo]] (sculpture); [[Titian]] (painting); thus representing the range of the museums collections<ref>page 120, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>,[[Godfrey Sykes]] also designed the terracotta embellishments and the mosaic in the [[Pediment]] of the North Façade commemorating the Great Exhibition the profits from which helped to fund the museum, this is flanked by terracotta statue groups by [[Percival Ball]]<ref>page 118, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. This building replaced Brompton Park House, which could then be demolished to make way for the south range.
The interiors of the three refreshment rooms were assigned to different designers. The Green Dining Room 1866–68 was the work of [[Philip Webb]] and [[William Morris]]<ref>page 131, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, displays [[Elizabethan]] influences, the lower part of the walls are panelled in wood with a band of paintings depicting fruit and the occasional figure, with moulded plaster foliage on the main part of the wall and a plaster frieze around the decorated ceiling and stained glass windows. The Centre Refreshment Room 1865–77 was designed in a Renaissance style by James Gamble<ref>page 135, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, the walls and even the [[Ionic order|Ionic]] columns are covered in decorative and moulded ceramic tile, the ceiling consists of elaborate designs on enamelled metal sheets and matching stained glass windows, the marble fireplace<ref>Catalogue of the Drawings Collection of the RIBA: Alfred Stevens, Susan Beattie 1975</ref> was designed and sculpted by [[Alfred Stevens (sculptor)|Alfred Stevens]] and was removed from Dorchester House prior to that building's demolition in 1929. The Grill Room 1876–81 was designed by Sir [[Edward Poynter]]<ref>page 139, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, the lower part of the walls consist of blue and white tiles with various figures and foliage enclosed by wood panelling, above there are large tiled scenes with figures depicting the four seasons and the twelve months these were painted by ladies from the Art School then based in the museum, the windows are also stained glass, there is an elaborate cast iron grill still in place.
With the death of Fowke the next architect to work at the museum was Colonel (later Major General) Henry Scott (1822–83)<ref>page 496, The Buildings of England London 3: North West, Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner 1991</ref> also of the [[Royal Engineers]]. He designed to the north west of the garden the five-storey School for Naval Architects (also known as the science schools)<ref> page 146,The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, now the Henry Cole Wing in 1867–72. Scott's assistant J.H. Wild designed the impressive staircase <ref>page 148, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>that rises the full height of the building, made from Cadeby stone the steps are 7 feet in length, the balustrades and columns are Portland stone. It is now used to house the joint V&A and [[Royal Institute of British Architects]] (RIBA) architectural drawings library and the Sackler education centre to open in 2008. Continuing the style of the earlier buildings, various designers were responsible for the decoration, the terracotta embellishments were again the work of Godfrey Sykes, although [[Sgraffito]] was used to decorate the east side of the building designed by F.W. Moody<ref>page 151, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, a final embellishment were the wrought iron gates made as late as 1885 designed by Starkie Gardner<ref>page 155, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, these lead to a passage through the building. Scott also designed the two Cast Courts 1870–73<ref>page 156, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref> to the southeast of the garden (the site of the 'Brompton Boilers'), these vast spaces have ceilings 70 feet in height to accommodate the plaster casts of parts of famous buildings, including Trajan's Column (in two separate pieces). The final part of the museum designed by Scott was the Art Library and what is now the sculpture gallery on the south side of the garden, built 1877–83<ref>page 172, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, the exterior mosaic panels in the parapet were designed by Reuben Townroe who also designed the plaster work in the library<ref>page 174, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, Sir [[John Taylor (architect)|John Taylor]] designed the book shelves and cases<ref>page 174, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, also this was the first part of the museum to have electric lighting<ref>page 175, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. This completed the northern half of the site but left the museum without a proper façade.
===The Edwardian period===
The main façade, built from red brick and [[Portland stone]], stretches 720 feet along Cromwell Gardens and was designed by [[Aston Webb]] after winning a competition in 1891 to extend the museum. Construction took place between 1899 to 1909.<ref>''Edwardian Architecture: A Biographical Dictionary'', page 374, A. Stuart Gray 2nd Edition 1988</ref> Stylistically it is a strange hybrid, although much of the detail belongs to the [[Renaissance]] there are medieval influences at work. The main entrance consisting of a series of shallow arches supported by slender columns and niches with twin doors separated by pier is [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] in form but Classical in detail. Likewise the tower above the main entrance has an open work crown surmounted by a statue of fame<ref>page 228, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, a feature of late [[Gothic architecture]] and a feature common in Scotland, but the detail is Classical. The main windows to the galleries are also mullioned and transomed, again a Gothic feature, the top row of windows are interspersed with statues of many of the British artists whose work is displayed in the museum.
Prince Albert appears within the main arch above the twin entrances, Queen Victoria above the frame around the arches and entrance, sculpted by [[Alfred Drury]]. These façades surround four levels of galleries. Other areas designed by Webb include the Entrance Hall and Rotunda, the East and West Halls, the areas occupied by the shop and Asian Galleries as well as the Costume Gallery. The interior makes much use of [[marble]] in the entrance hall and flanking staircases, although the galleries as originally designed were white with restrained classical detail and mouldings, very much in contrast to the elaborate decoration of the Victorian galleries, although much of this decoration was removed in the early twentieth century.<ref>''The Buildings of England London 3: The North West,'' page 495, Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner 1991</ref>
===The post-war period===
The Museum survived the [[Second World War]] with only minor bomb damage. The worst loss was the Victorian stained glass on the Ceramics Staircase which was blown in when bombs fell near by; pock marks still visible on the façade of the museum were caused by shrapnel from the bombs.
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Shrapnel_damage_to_v&a_wall.jpg|thumb|right|The WWII shrapnel damage photographed in April, 2007]] -->
In the immediate post-war years there was little money available for other than essential repairs. The 1950s and early 1960s saw little in the way of building work, the first major work was the creation of new storage space for books in the Art Library in 1966 and 1967. This involved flooring over Aston Webb's main hall to form the book stacks<ref>page 274, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>, with a new medieval gallery on the ground floor (now the shop, opened in 2006). Then the lower ground floor galleries in the south west part of the museum were redesigned, opening in 1978 to form the new galleries covering Continental art 1600–1800 (late Renaissance, Baroque through Rococo and neo-Classical)<ref>page 273, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. In 1974 the museum had acquired what is now the Henry Cole wing from the [[Royal College of Science]]<ref>page 276, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. In order to adapt the building as galleries, all the Victorian interiors except for the staircase were recast during the remodelling. To link this to the rest of the museum, a new entrance building was constructed on the site of the former boiler house, the intended site of the Spiral, between 1978 and 1982<ref>page 277, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. This building is of concrete and very functional, the only embellishment being the iron gates by Christopher Hay and Douglas Coyne of the [[Royal College of Art]]<ref>page 277, The Victoria and Albert Museum: The History of its Building, John Physick 1982</ref>. These are set in the columned screen wall designed by Aston Webb that forms the façade.
===Recent years===
[[Image:CastRoom VictoriaAndAlbertMuseum.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cast Courts (Victoria and Albert Museum)|Cast Court]] — Plaster copy of [[Trajan's Column]]]]
A few galleries were redesigned in the 1990s including: Indian, Japanese, Chinese, iron work, the main glass and the main silverware gallery, although this gallery was further enhanced in 2002 when some of the Victorian decoration was recreated. This included two of the ten columns having their ceramic decoration replaced and the elaborate painted designs restored on the ceiling. As part of the 2006 renovation the mosaic floors in the sculpture gallery were restored — most of the Victorian floors were covered in [[linoleum]] after the Second World War. After the success of the British Galleries, opened in 2001, it was decided to embark on a major redesign of all the galleries in the museum; this is known as 'Future Plan'. The plan is expected to take about ten years and was started in 2002. To date several galleries have been redesigned, notably, in 2002: the main Silver Gallery, Contemporary; in 2003: Photography, the main entrance, The Painting Galleries; in 2004: the tunnel to the subway leading to [[South Kensington tube station]], New signage through out the museum, architecture, V&A and RIBA reading rooms and stores, metalware, Members' Room, contemporary glass, the Gilbert Bayes sculpture gallery; in 2005: portrait miniatures, prints and drawings, displays in Room 117, the garden, sacred silver and stained glass; in 2006: Central Hall Shop, Islamic Middle East, the new café, sculpture galleries. Several designers and architects have been involved in this work. [[Eva Jiricna]] designed the enhancements to the main entrance and rotunda, the new shop, the tunnel and the sculpture galleries. Gareth Hoskins was responsible for contemporary and architecture, Softroom, Islamic Middle East and the Members' Room, McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) were responsible for the new Cafe and are now designing the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries due to open in 2009.<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/futureplan/completed/index.html Completed Projects - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Recently, controversy surrounded the museum's proposed building of an £80 million extension called The Spiral, designed by [[Daniel Libeskind]], which was criticised as out of keeping with the architecture of the original buildings. The Spiral's design was described by some as looking like jumbled cardboard boxes. In September 2004, the museum's board of trustees voted to abandon the design after failing to receive funding from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]].<ref>[http://www.thecityreview.com/london.htm Website with image of Spiral] and [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3665466.stm BBC story on axing of Spiral extension]</ref>
===The garden===
[[Image:V&AGarden.jpg|thumb|right|260px|The [[John Madejski]] Garden - Opened in 2005]]
The central garden was redesigned by Kim Wilkie and opened as the [[John Madejski]] Garden, on [[5 July]] [[2005]]. The design is a subtle blend of the traditional and modern, the layout is formal; there is an elliptical water feature lined in stone with steps around the edge which may be drained to use the area for receptions, gatherings or exhibition purposes. This is in front of the bronze doors leading to the refreshment rooms, a central path flanked by lawns leads to the sculpture gallery; the north, east and west sides have herbaceous borders along the museum walls with paths in front which continues along the south façade; in the two corners by the north façade there is planted an [[American Sweetgum]] tree; the southern, eastern and western edges of the lawns have glass planters which contain orange and lemon trees in summer, these are replaced by [[bay tree]]s in winter. At night both the planters and water feature may be illuminated, and the surrounding façades lit to reveal details normally in shadow, especially noticeable are the mosaics in the [[loggia]] of the north façade. In summer a café is set up in the south west corner. The garden is also used for temporary exhibits of sculpture, for example a sculpture by [[Jeff Koons]] was shown in 2006.
==Departments==
===Education===
The education department<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/research/research_reports/1993/education_dept/index.html Education Department - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> has wide-ranging responsibilities. It provides information for the casual visitor as well as for school groups, including integrating learning in the museum with the [[National Curriculum]]; it provides research facilities for students at degree level and beyond, with information and access to the collections. It also oversees the content of the Museum's web site in addition to publishing books and papers on the collections, research and other aspects of the Museum.
Several areas of the collection have dedicated study rooms, these allow access to items in the collection that are not currently on display, but in some cases require an appointment to be made<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/resources/print_study_reading/index.html Study Rooms - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The new Sackler education suite, occupying the two lower floors of the Henry Cole Wing is due to open in 2008. This will include lecture rooms and areas for use by schools, which will be available during school holidays for use by families, and will enable direct handling of items from the collection.
===Research and Conservation===
Research<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/research/index.html Research - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> is a very important area of the Museum's work, and includes: identification and interpretation of individual objects; other studies contribute to systematic research, this develops the public understanding of the art and artefacts of many of the great cultures of the world; visitor research and evaluation to discover the needs of visitors and their experiences of the Museum. Since 1990 the Museum has published research reports<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/research/research_reports/index.html Research Reports - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> these focus on all areas of the collections.
Conservation<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/index.html Conservation - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> is responsible for the long-term preservation of the collections, and covers all the collections held by the V&A and the Museum of Childhood. The conservators specialise in particular areas of conservation. Areas covered by conservator's work include 'preventive' conservation this includes: performing surveys, assessments and providing advice on the handling of items, correct packaging, mounting and handling procedures during movement and display to reduce risk of damaging objects. Activities include controlling the Museum environment (for example, temperature and light) and preventing pests (primarily insects) from damaging artefacts. The other major category is 'interventive' conservation, this includes: cleaning and reintegration to strengthen fragile objects, reveal original surface decoration, and restore shape. Interventive treatment makes an object more stable, but also more attractive and comprehensible to the viewer. It is usually undertaken on items that are to go on public display.
==Collections==
The Victoria & Albert Museum is split into four Collections departments, Asia; Furniture, textiles and Fashion; Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics & Glass and Word & Image. The museum curators care for the objects in the collection and provide access to objects that are not currently on display to the public and scholars.
The collection departments are further divided into sixteen display areas, whose combined collection numbers over 6.5 million objects, not all items are displayed or stored at the V&A. There is a repository, in Blythe Road, West Kensington, as well as annex institutions managed by the V&A <ref>V&A Collecting Plan Including Acquisition & Disposal Policy, August 2004</ref>, also the Museum lends exhibits to other institutions. The following lists each of the collections on display and the number of objects within the collection.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
*Architecture (annex of the RIBA)
*Asia
*British Galleries (cross department display)
*Ceramics
*Childhood (annex of the V&A)
*Contemporary (cross department function)
*Fashion & Jewellery
*Furniture
*Glass
*Metalwork
*Paintings & Drawings
*Periods and styles (cross department function)
*Photography
*Prints & Books
*Sculpture
*Textiles
*Theatre (includes V&A Theatre Collections Reading Room, an annex of the former [[Theatre Museum]])
{{col-3}}
*2,050,000
*160,000
*...
*74,000
*20,000
*...
*28,000
*14,000
*6,000
*31,000
*202,500
*...
*500,000
*1,500,000
*17,500
*38,000
*1,905,000
{{col-3}}
{{col-end}}
The museum has 145 galleries, but given the vast extent of the collections only a small percentage is ever on display. Many acquisitions have been made possible only with the assistance of the [[National Art Collections Fund]].
===Architecture===
In 2004, the V&A alongside RIBA opened the first permanent gallery in the UK<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/architecture/va_riba/index.html About the V&A and RIBA Architecture Partnership Collections - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> covering the history of architecture with displays using models, photographs, elements from buildings and original drawings. With the opening of the new gallery, the RIBA Architectural Drawings Library has been transferred to the museum, joining the already extensive collection held by the V&A. With over 600,000 drawings, over 750,000 papers and paraphernalia, and over 700,000 photographs from around the world, together they form the world's most comprehensive architectural resource.
Not only are all the major British architects of the last four hundred years represented, but many European (especially Italian) and American architects' drawings are held in the collection. The holdings of drawings by [[Palladio]] are the largest in the world,<ref>''The Drawings of Andrea Palladio'', Douglas Lewis 2nd Edition 2000</ref> other Europeans well represented are Jacques Gentilhatre<ref>''Catalogue of the Drawings Collection of the RIBA: Jacques Gentilhatre'', Rosalys Coope1972</ref> and [[Antonio Visentini]]<ref>''Catalogue of the Drawings Collection of the RIBA: Antonio Visentini'', John McAndrew 1974</ref>. British architects whose drawings, and in some cases models of their buildings, in the collection, include: [[Inigo Jones]]<ref>''Inigo Jones Complete Architectural Drawings'', John Harris & Gordon Higgott 1989</ref> [[Sir Christopher Wren]],[[Sir John Vanbrugh]], [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]], [[William Kent]], [[James Gibbs]], [[Robert Adam]],<ref>''Catalogues of Architectural Drawings in the V&A: Robert Adam,'' Alister Rowan 1988</ref> [[Sir William Chambers]],<ref>''Catalogues of Architectural Drawings in the V&A: Sir William Chambers'', Michael Snodin (Editor) 1996</ref> [[James Wyatt]], [[Henry Holland (architect)|Henry Holland]], [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]], [[Sir John Soane]],<ref>''Catalogues of Architectural Drawings in the V&A:Sir John Soane'', Pierre de la Ruffuniere du Prey 1985</ref> [[Sir Charles Barry]], [[Charles Robert Cockerell]], [[Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin]],<ref>''Catalogues of Architectural Drawings in the V&A: A.W.N. Pugin and the Pugin Family'', Alexandra Wedgwood 1985</ref> [[Sir George Gilbert Scott]], [[John Loughborough Pearson]], [[George Edmund Street]], [[Richard Norman Shaw]], [[Alfred Waterhouse]], [[Sir Edwin Lutyens]], [[Charles Rennie MacKintosh]], [[Charles Holden]], [[Frank Hoar]], Lord [[Richard Rogers]], Lord [[Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank|Norman Foster]], Sir [[Nicholas Grimshaw]] and [[Zaha Hadid]].
As well as period rooms, the collection includes parts of buildings, for example the two top stories of the facade of Sir Paul Pindar's house<ref>[http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Gotch/pages/109-window-from-sir-paul-pindars-house/ 109. Window from Sir Paul Pindar’s House, Bishopsgate. [image 400x556 pixels]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/8863-popup.html Image - V&A<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>dated c1600 from [[Bishopsgate]] with elaborately carved wood work and leaded windows, a rare survivor of the [[Great Fire of London]], there is a brick portal from a London house of the [[English Restoration]] period and a fireplace from the gallery of Northumberland house. European examples include a dormer window dated 1523–35 from the chateau of Montal. There are several examples from Italian Renaissance buildings including, portals, fireplaces, balconies and a stone buffet that used to have a built in fountain. The main architecture gallery has a series of pillars from various buildings and different periods, for example a column from the [[Alhambra]]. Examples covering Asia are in those galleries concerned with those countries, as well as models and photographs in the main architecture gallery.
<Gallery></Gallery>
===Asia===
The V&As collection of Art from Asia numbers more than 160,000 objects, one of the greatest in existence. It has one of the world's most comprehensive and important collections of Chinese art whilst the collection of South Asian Art is the most important in the West. The museums coverage includes items from South and South East Asia, Himalayan Kingdoms, China, the Far East and the Islamic world.
The V&A holds over 19,000 items from the Islamic World, ranging from the early Islamic period (the 7th century) to the early 20th century. The [[Jameel]] Gallery of Islamic Art, opened in 2006, houses a representative display of 400 objects with the highlight being the [[Ardabil Carpet]], the centrepiece of the gallery. The displays in this gallery cover objects from Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Afghanistan. A masterpiece of [[Islamic art]] is a 10th-century [[ewer]] carved from a single block of [[rock crystal]]. Many examples of [[Qur'ān]]s with exquisite [[calligraphy]] dating from various periods are on display. A 15th-century [[Minbar]] from a [[Cairo]] [[mosque]] with ivory forming complex geometrical patterns inlaid in wood is one of the larger objects on display. Extensive examples of ceramics especially [[Iznik]] pottery, glasswork including 14th century lamps from mosques and metalwork are on display. The collection of Middle Eastern and [[Persian rug]]s and carpets is amongst the finest in the world, many were part of the Salting Bequest of 1909. Examples of tile work from various buildings including a fireplace dated 1731 from [[Istanbul]] made of intricately decorated blue and white tiles and turquoise tiles from the exterior of buildings from [[Samarkand]] are also displayed.
The Museum's collections of South and South-East Asian art are the most comprehensive and important in the West comprising nearly 60,000 objects, including about 10,000 textiles and 6000 paintings<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/about/index.html About the Collection - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, the range of the collection is immense. The [[Nehru]] gallery of [[Indian art]], opened in 1991, contains art from about 500 BC to the 19th century. There is an extensive collection of sculpture, mainly of a religious nature, [[Hindu]], [[Buddhist]] and [[Jain]]. The gallery is richly endowed with art of the [[Mughal Empire]], including fine portraits of the emperors and other paintings and drawings, jade wine cups and gold spoons inset with emeralds, diamonds and rubies, also from this period are parts of buildings such as a [[jali|jaali]] and pillars<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/8857-popup.html Image - V&A<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. India was a large producer of textiles, from dyed cotton [[chintz]], [[muslin]] to rich [[embroidery]] work using gold and silver thread, coloured sequins and beads is displayed, as are carpets from [[Agra]] and [[Lahore]]. Examples of clothing are also displayed. One of the more unusual items on display in the Indian Gallery is '[[Tipu's Tiger]]', an [[automaton]] and mechanical organ made in [[Mysore]] around 1795. It represents a [[tiger]] mauling a soldier or officer of the [[British East India Company]]. It is named after the ruler of Mysore who commissioned it, [[Tipu Sultan]]. In 1879–80 the collections of the British East India Company's India Museum were given to the V&A and the British Museum.
The Far Eastern collections include more than 70,000 works of art<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/about/index.html About the Collection - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> from the countries of East Asia: China, Japan and Korea. The T.T. Tsui Gallery of [[Chinese art]] opened in 1991, displaying a representative collection of the V&As approximately 16,000 objects<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/history/vanda_150/150facts/index.html 150 Facts about the V&A for the 150th Anniversary - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> from China, dating from the 4th millennium BC to the present day. Though the majority of art works on display date from the [[Ming Dynasty]] and [[Qing Dynasty]], there are exquisite examples of objects dating from the [[Tang Dynasty]] and earlier periods. Notably, a metre high bronze head of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] dated to the c750 AD and one of the oldest items a 2,000 year old [[jade]] horse head from a burial, other sculptures include life size tomb guardians. Classic examples of Chinese manufacturing are displayed which include [[lacquer]], [[silk]], [[porcelain]], [[jade]] and [[cloisonné]] enamel. Two large ancestor portraits of a husband and wife painted in watercolour on silk date from the 18th century. There is a unique lacquer table, made in the imperial workshops during the reign of Emperor [[Xuande]]. Examples of clothing are also displayed. One of the largest objects is a mid 17th century bed. The work of contemporary Chinese designers is also displayed.
The [[Toshiba]] gallery of [[Japanese art]] opened in December 1986. The majority of exhibits date from 1550 to 1900, but one of the oldest pieces displayed is the 13th-century sculpture of Amida Nyorai. Examples of classic Japanese armour from the mid 19th century, steel sword blades ([[Katana]]), [[Inro]], lacquerware including the Mazarin Chest<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/research/projects/mazarin_chest/index.html The Mazarin Chest Project - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> dated c1640 is one of the finest surviving pieces from [[Kyoto]], porcelain including [[Imari porcelain|Imari]], [[Netsuke]], [[woodblock prints]] including the work of [[Ando Hiroshige]], graphic works include printed books, as well as a few paintings, scrolls and screens, textiles and dress including [[kimono]]s are some of the objects on display. One of the finest objects displayed is
Suzuki Chokichi's bronze incense burner ([[koro]]) dated 1875, standing at over 2.25 metres high and 1.25 metres in diameter it is also one of the largest examples made.
The smaller galleries cover [[Korea]], the [[Himalayan]] kingdoms and [[South East Asia]]. Korean displays include green-glazed ceramics, silk embroideries from officials' robes and gleaming boxes inlaid with mother-of-pearl made between 500 AD and 2000. Himalayan items include important early Nepalese bronze sculptures, [[Repoussé and chasing|repoussé]] work and [[embroidery]]. Tibetan art from the 14th to the 19th century is represented by notable 14th- and 15th-century religious images in wood and bronze, scroll paintings and ritual objects. Art from Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka in gold, silver, bronze, stone, terracotta and ivory represents these rich and complex cultures, the displays span the 6th to 19th centuries. Refined Hindu and Buddhist sculptures reflect the influence of India; items on show include betel-nut cutters, ivory combs and bronze palanquin hooks.
{{Asian Collections}}
{{Islamic Art Collections}}
===British Galleries===
These fifteen galleries — which opened in November 2001 — contain around 4000 items. The displays in these galleries are based around three major themes: 'Style', 'Who Led Taste' and 'What Was New'. The period covered is 1500 to 1900, the galleries fall into three major subdivisions; [[Tudor period|Tudor]] and [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] Britain 1500–1714, This covers the Renaissance, [[Elizabethan]], [[Jacobean]], [[English Restoration|Restoration]] and [[Baroque]] styles; [[Georgian period in British history|Georgian]] Britain 1714–1837, this covers [[Palladianism]], [[Rococo]], [[Chinoiserie]], [[Neoclassicism]], the [[British Regency|Regency]], as well as continuing classical influences includes [[Culture of China|Chinese]], [[Republic of India|Indian]] and [[Egyptian culture|Egyptian]] styles, also the [[Gothic Revival]]; [[Victorian era|Victorian]] Britain 1837–1901, this covers the later more scholarly phase of the Gothic Revival, French influences, Classical and Renaissance revivals, [[Aestheticism]], [[Japanese art|Japanese]] style, continuing influence from China, Indian and the Islamic world, the [[Arts and Crafts movement]] and the Scottish School.
Not just the work of British artists and craftspeople is on display, but work produced by European artists that was purchased or commissioned by British patrons. Also imports from Asia, including porcelain, cloth and wallpaper. Designers and artists whose work is on display in the galleries include [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]],<ref>''Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque'', Rudolf Wittkower, 1955</ref> [[Grinling Gibbons]],<ref>''Grinling Gibbons: His Work as Carver and Statuary 1648–1721'', David Green, 1964</ref> [[Daniel Marot]], [[Louis Laguerre]], [[Antonio Verrio]], [[Sir James Thornhill]], [[William Kent]], [[Sir William Chambers]], [[Robert Adam]], [[Canaletto]], [[Josiah Wedgwood]],<ref>''Decorative Wedgwood: In Architecture and Furniture'', Alison Kelly, 1965</ref> [[Matthew Boulton]],<ref>''Ormolu: The Work of Matthew Boulton'', Nicholas Goddisen, 1974</ref> [[Eleanor Coade]],<ref>''Mrs Coade's Stone'', Alison Kelly, 1990</ref> Canova,<ref>''Antonio Canova and the Politics of Patronage'', Christopher M.S. Johns, 1998</ref> [[John Constable]], [[Thomas Chippendale]], [[Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin]],<ref>''Pugin a Gothic Passion'', Paul Atterbury & Clive Wainwright Editors, 1994</ref> [[William Morris]],<ref>''William Morris'', Linda Parry, Editor, 1996</ref> [[William Burges (architect)|William Burges]]<ref>''William Burges and the High Victorian Dream'', J. Mourdaunt Crook, 1981</ref>, [[Charles Robert Ashbee]], [[Christopher Dresser]],<ref>''Christopher Dresser: A Design Revolution'', Michael Whiteway, Editor, 2004</ref> [[James McNeill Whistler]] and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Patrons who have influenced taste are also represented by works of art from their collections, these include: [[Horace Walpole]]<ref>''Horace Walpole: The Great Outsider'', Timothy Mowl, 1996</ref> (a major influence on the Gothic Revival), [[William Thomas Beckford]]<ref>''William Beckford 1760–1844: An Eye for the Magnificent'', Derek E. Ostergard, Editor, 2001</ref> and [[Thomas Hope (1769-1831)|Thomas Hope]].<ref>''Thomas Hope 1769–1831 and the Neo-Classical Idea'', David Watkin, 1968</ref>
Over the four centuries covered, the people influencing style are seen to change over time, in the early sixteenth century the Church prior to the [[Reformation]] and the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British Monarchy]] dominated taste, but as time passed first the aristocracy, then also the middle class begin to have a greater and greater influence on taste. This mirrors rising national wealth and power, as British trade spread around the globe followed by the founding and expansion of the [[British Empire]].
There are five complete rooms from demolished buildings displayed in the galleries, these are: The parlour from the Old Palace [[Bromley-by-Bow]] dated 1606 with carved Renaissance-style oak panelling, overmantel and richly decorated plaster ceiling: the parlour from 2 Henrietta Street London dated 1727–28 designed by [[James Gibbs]] with an elaborate ceiling with in set paintings and carved fireplace; the [[Norfolk House]] Music Room,<ref>''The Norfolk House Music Room'', Desmond Fitz-Gerald, 1973</ref> St James Square London dated 1756, designed by [[Matthew Brettingham]] and [[Giovanni Battista Borra]], the white panelling and ceiling have carved and gilded Rococo decoration with matching mirrors; the Strawberry Room from Lee Priory Kent, dated 1783–94 designed by [[James Wyatt]] in a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothick]] style: the Ante-room from The Grove Harborne, Birmingham 1877–78 designed by [[John Henry Chamberlain]] in High-Victorian [[Neo-Gothic]] style. Further there are displays of parts of rooms: the Hayes Grange Room c1585–c1620, attributed to the amateur architect John Osborne<ref>page 26, A Passion for Building:The Amateur Architect in England 1650-1850, John Harris & Robert Hradsky 2007</ref> is an early example for Britain of the correct use of the [[classical order]]s, only the end wall and part of the ceiling is displayed due to the size of the room. There are parts of two [[Robert Adam]] designed rooms on show, a section of a wall from the Glass Drawing Room from [[Northumberland House]] dated 1773–1775, the main panels consist of glass backed by red foil, the [[pilasters]] glass backed with green foil and covered by elaborate carvings of gilded wood, and there is a neo-classical painting inset above the door, the other room comes from the [[Adelphi, London|Adelphi Buildings]] c1772, demolished in 1936, only the ceiling and fireplace survive.<ref>''Creating the British Galleries at the V&A: A study in museology'', Christopher Wilk & Nick Humphrey, Editors, 2004</ref>
Some of the more notable works displayed in the galleries include: Pietro Torrigiani's coloured terracotta bust of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] dated 1509–11; The Dacre [[Heraldic]] Beasts, extraordinary 2 metre high carvings of a bull, gryphon, ram and salmon, in realistic colours, dated 1519-21; [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s writing box dated 1525 made from walnut and oak, lined with leather and painted and gilded with the king's coat of arms; A [[spinet]] dated 1570–1580 for [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]]: the [[Great Bed of Ware]], dated 1590–1600, an elaborately carved four poster with head board inlaid with [[marquetry]], said to sleep twelve people; portrait by [[Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger]] dated<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/12652-popup.html Image - V&A<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> c1620 of Margaret Laton and the actual embroidered jacket that the sitter is wearing in the painting; [[Bernini]]'s bust of Thomas Barker dated c1638; the [[Mortlake]] tapestry dated to the mid-seventeenth century part of a series covering the story [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] and [[Vulcan (god)|Vulcan]]; the wood relief of The Stoning of St Stephen dated c1670 by Grinling Gibbons; the state bed from [[Melville House]] dated 1700, over 4.6 metres high with hangings of crimson Italian velvet and Chinese silk linings; Embroidery hangings from [[Stoke Edith]] dated c1710-20; a unique set of silverware is the Macclesfield Wine Set, dated 1719–1720, it consists of a large wine cooler, cistern and fountain the last for washing wine glasses, the work of Anthony Nelme, this is the only complete set known to survive; the life size sculpture of [[George Frederick Handel]] dated 1738 by [[Louis-François Roubiliac]]; the sculpture of Castor and Pollux dated 1767 by [[Joseph Nollekens]]; a bureau dressing table dated 1771-5 by Thomas Chippendale; the Duchess of Manchester's cabinet dated 1776, designed by [[Robert Adam]] and incorporating [[Pietra Dura]] plaques made by Baccio Cappelli; there are two sculptures by Canova that are displayed alternately, ''[[The Three Graces (sculpture)|The Three Graces]]'' dated 1815–17, when this is on display at [[The National Galleries of Scotland]], then The Sleeping Nymph dated 1822 is displayed instead. The painting of Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds, dated 1823 by John Constable; the sculpture of Bashaw<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/british_galls/audio_talk_art/bashaw/index.html Bashaw - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> dated 1831–34, this is a life like sculpture of the Earl of Dudley's dog made from coloured marble, the dog has a paw on a writhing snake equally life like, the sculptor was Matthew Cotes Wyatt; A Carpet and tapestry<ref>[http://www.artfund.org/artwork/5326/angeli-ministrantes-tapestry The Art Fund - Angeli Ministrantes tapestry<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> by William Morris; the Sideboard dated 1867–70 of ebonized mahogany and silver-plated metal work by [[Edward William Godwin]],<ref>''E.W. Godwin: Aesthetic Movement Architect and Designer'', Susan Weber Soros, Editor, 1999</ref> furniture by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.<ref>''Design & the Decorative Arts: Britain 1500–1900'', Michael Snodin & John Styles 2001</ref>
The influences on design that were new in different periods and explored in the displays, include: in the Tudor period, the spread of the printed book, the increasing employment of European artists and craftsmen and in the late 16th century, the establishment of tapestry weaving at the Sheldon works; in the Stuart period the increase in trade especially with Asia brought luxuries like carpets, lacquerware furniture, silk and porcelain, with in reach of more of the population, new forms of furniture appearing in the domestic setting such as bookcases and sofas and the increasing use of upholstery; in the Georgian age there is a growth in entertainment [[Vauxhall Gardens]] being an example, the growth in [[tea]] drinking and associated paraphernalia such as china, caddies and tables, the influence of the [[Grand Tour]] on taste, the growth of mass production as the [[Industrial Revolution]] takes hold, producing entrepreneurs such as [[Josiah Wedgwood]], [[Matthew Boulton]] and [[Eleanor Coade]]; displays on the Victorian era investigate the impact of new technology on manufacturing with examples of the use of newly invented machinery, also for the first time since the reformation the church both Anglican and Roman Catholic have a major impact on art and design especially the Gothic revival commissioning art and architecture on a large scale, there is a large display on the Great Exhibition, that amongst other things led to the founding of the V&A, there is also the backlash against industrialisation led by [[John Ruskin]], that would lead to the Arts and Crafts movement a pioneer of which was William Morris.
===Cast courts===
{{Main|Cast Courts (Victoria and Albert Museum)}}
One of the most dramatic parts of the museum is the Cast Courts in the sculpture wing, comprising two large, skylighted rooms two storeys high housing hundreds of [[plaster cast]]s of [[sculpture]]s, [[frieze]]s and [[tombs]]. One of these is dominated by a full-scale replica of [[Trajan's Column]], cut in half in order to fit under the ceiling. The other includes reproductions of various works of [[Italy|Italian]] Renaissance sculpture and architecture, including a full-size replica of [[Michelangelo's David]]. Replicas of two earlier [[David]]s by [[Donatello]] and [[Andrea del Verrocchio|Verrocchio]], are also included, although for conservation reasons the Verrocchio replica is displayed in a glass case.
The two courts are divided by corridors on both storeys, and the partitions that used to line the upper corridor (the Gilbert Bayes sculpture gallery) were removed in 2004 in order to allow the courts to be viewed from above.
<gallery>
Image:This room is full of plaster cast copies of famous world statues, sculptures and monuments.jpg|[[Cast Courts (Victoria and Albert Museum)|Room 46a; Cast Court]] — Plaster Casts of various European monuments
Image:The Portico de la Gloira, Santiago de Compostela.jpg|[[Cast Courts (Victoria and Albert Museum)|Room 46a; Cast Court]] — Plaster Cast of the 'Pórtico da Gloria' in the [[Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela]]
Image:Another Room of Casts.jpg|[[Cast Courts (Victoria and Albert Museum)|Room 46b; Cast Court]] — Plaster Cast of Central doorway of S. Petronio, Siena by [[Jacopo della Quercia]]
Image:P1060319.JPG|[[Cast Courts (Victoria and Albert Museum)|Room 46b; Cast Court]] — Plaster Cast of [[David (Michelangelo)|David]] and The Slave, by [[Michelangelo]]
</gallery>
===Ceramics===
This is the largest and most comprehensive collection in the world with over 75,000 objects in the collection, covering the entire globe, every populated continent is represented.
Well represented in the collection is [[Meissen porcelain]], this factory being the first in Europe to discover the Chinese method of making porcelain, amongst the finest examples is the Meissen Vulture dating from 1731. Examples from the [[Manufacture nationale de Sèvres]] are extensive, especially the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection of 18th century British porcelain is the largest and finest in the world, examples from every factory are represented, the collection of [[Chelsea porcelain]] and [[Worcester Porcelain]] being especially fine. All the major nineteenth century British factories are also represented. A major boost to the collections was the Salting Bequest made in 1909, which covered amongst other areas Chinese and Japanese ceramics, this forms part of the finest collection of East Asian pottery and porcelain in the world, [[Kakiemon]] being amongst the wares displayed.
Many famous potters, such as [[Josiah Wedgwood]], [[William Frend De Morgan]] and [[Bernard Leach]] as well as [[Mintons Ltd]] & [[Royal Doulton]] are represented in the collection, as indeed is pottery from earlier periods. There is an extensive collection of [[Delftware]] produced in both Britain and Holland which includes a flower pyramid c1695 over a metre in height. [[Bernard Palissy]] has several examples of his work in the collection including dishes, jugs and candlesticks. The largest objects in the collection are a series of ceramic stoves mainly dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, made in Germany and Switzerland, they have elaborate mouldings and ornament and some are decorated with coloured schemes. There is unrivalled collection of Italian [[maiolica]] and [[lusterware|lustreware]] from Spain. The collection of [[Iznik]] pottery from Turkey is the largest in the world. All the ceramics galleries are presently closed except on advertised dates, but with the help of a grant from the Headley Trust the first of the remodelled galleries should open in 2009.
===Contemporary===
These galleries are dedicated to temporary exhibits showcasing both trends from recent decades and the latest in design and fashion.
===Fashion and jewellery===
The costume collection is the most comprehensive in Britain, containing over 14,000 outfits plus accessories, it mainly covers the last four centuries and the latest in couture is added to the collection, there are also designs on paper. As everyday clothing from previous eras has not generally survived the collection is dominated by fashionable clothes made for special occasions. Some of the oldest items in the collection are medieval [[vestments]] especially [[Opus Anglicanum]]. One of the most important items in the collection is the wedding suit of [[James II of England]] this is displayed in the British Galleries. Some of the largest bequests of costume were in 1913 the [[Harrods]] collection containing 1,442 costumes and items, in 1971 the Cecil Beaton collection of 1,200 costumes and items, and in 2002 the Costiff collection of 178 [[Vivienne Westwood]] costumes. Other famous designers with work in the collection include [[Coco Chanel]], [[Yves Saint-Laurent (designer)|Yves Saint Laurent]], [[Zandra Rhodes]], [[Mary Quant]], [[Christian Lacroix]], [[Jean Muir]] and [[Pierre Cardin]].<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/1960s/fashion_designers/index.html 1960s Fashion Designers - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The [[jewellery]] collection with over 6,000 items, covers, amongst other periods, [[Ancient Egypt]], [[Ancient Greece]], [[Ancient Rome]], the Medieval period, Elizabethan jewels, the 17th century, 18th century, 19th century and on to the present day, there are also designs on paper. Some of the finest pieces are by [[Pierre Cartier (jeweler)|Cartier]], [[Peter Carl Fabergé]] and [[René Lalique|Lalique]],<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/tiaras/study_resource.html Tiaras - V&A Exhibition<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> other items in the collection include diamond dress ornaments made for [[Catherine the Great]], bracelet clasps once belonging to [[Marie Antoinette]] and the Beauharnais emerald necklace presented by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]] to his adopted daughter [[Hortense de Beauharnais]] in 1806.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAL/is_511_160/ai_n9483462 The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, has started work on a new jewellery gallery, that is planned to open in 2008 | Apollo | Find Articles at BNET.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Modern jewellery is represented by designers such as [[Gerda Flockinger]] and [[Wendy Ramshaw]]. Not just western jewellery is in the collection, but also African and Asian. Major bequests include; Reverend [[Chauncy Hare Townshend]]'s collection of 154 gems bequeathed in 1869; Lady Cory's who in 1951 gave a collection of jewels that included major diamond jewellery from the 18th and 19th centuries; [[Joan Evans (art historian)|Dame Joan Evans]], a pre-eminent jewellery scholar, bequethed in 1977 more than 800 jewels, dating from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. A new jewellery gallery, donated by William and Judith Bollinger, is opened on May 24, 2008.
<ref>{{citation | title= Jewel in Its Crown| author=Nina Siegal | publisher=ARTINFO | year=2008 | date= May 10, 2008| url=http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/27358/jewel-in-its-crown/| accessdate=2008-05-14 }}</ref>
===Furniture and furnishings===
The furniture and furnishings collection covers Britain, Europe and America from the Middle Ages to the present. The collection contains over 14,000 items that: include, complete rooms, musical instruments, [[clock]]s, as well as furniture mainly western dating from the Middle Ages to the present, though the majority of the furniture is British dating between 1700 and 1900<ref>''Western Furniture: 1350 To the Present Day In the Victoria and Albert Museum London'', Christopher Wilk 1996</ref>, the finest examples are displayed in the British Galleries. British designers with works in the collection include: William Kent, [[Henry Flitcroft]], [[Matthias Lock]], Thomas Chippendale, [[James Stuart (1713-1788)|James Stuart]], William Chambers, Robert Adam, John Gillow, James Wyatt, [[Thomas Hopper]], Charles Heathcote Tatham, A.W.N. Pugin, William Burges, William Morris, Charles Voysey, [[Charles Robert Ashbee]], [[Baillie Scott]], Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Edwin Lutyens, [[Edward Maufe]], [[Wells Coates]] & Robin Day. Also the national collection of wallpaper is held by the museum.
There are two complete 18th-century rooms from the continent on display: the Boudoir de Madame de Sévilly, dated 1781-2 from Paris<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/8868-popup.html Image - V&A<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, the architect was [[Claude Nicolas Ledoux]], with exquisitely painted panelling the work of [[Jean Simeon Rousseau de la Rottiere]] and a glittering Italian 'cabinet' of 1780, elliptical in plan with a mirrored domed ceiling and elaborate [[parquet]] floor and carved panelling.
The Soulages collection of Italian and French Renaissance objects were acquired between 1859 and 1865, this included several [[cassone]] dating from the 15th & 16th centuries. The John Jones Collection covering French 18th century art and furnishings was left to the museum in 1882, then valued at £250,000, one of the most important pieces in this collection is a [[marquetry]] [[commode]] by the ''[[ébéniste]]'' [[Jean-Henri Riesener]] dated c1780, other signed pieces of furniture in the collection include a [[bureau]] by [[Jean-François Oeben]], a pair of pedastles with inlaid brass work by [[André-Charles Boulle]], a commode by Bernard Vanrisamburgh and a work-table by [[Martin Carlin]], and as well as furniture there are also, paintings, ceramics including an outstanding collection of Sèvres, goldsmiths' work, ormolu work, enamels, sculpture, tapestry, books and prints. Other 18th century ébénistes represented in the Museum collection include [[Adam Weisweiler]], [[David Roentgen]], [[Gilles Joubert]] & Pierre Langlois. From the 19th century Jacob-Desmalter. In 1901 Sir George Donaldson presented several pieces of art nouveau furniture to the museum which he acquired from the Paris [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Exposition Universelle]], though this was criticised at the time, the result being that the museum ceased to collect contemporary items, and did not do so again until the 1960s. In 1986 the Lady Abingdon collection of French Empire furniture was bequeathed by Mrs T.R.P. Hole.
There are a set of beautiful inlaid doors, dated 1580 from [[Antwerp City Hall]], attributed to [[Hans Vredeman de Vries]]. One of the finest pieces of continental furniture in the collection is the Rococo Augustus Rex Bureau Cabinet dated c1750 from Germany, with especially fine marquetry and [[ormolu]] mounts. One of the grandest pieces of 19th century furniture is the highly elaborate French Cabinet dated 1861–1867 made by M. Fourdinois, made from ebony inlaid with box, lime, holly, pear, walnut and mahogany woods as well as marble with gilded carvings. Furniture designed by [[Ernest Gimson]], C.F.A. Voysey, [[Adolf Loos]] and [[Otto Wagner]] are among the late 19th and early 20th century examples in the collection. The work of modernists in the collection include [[Le Corbusier]], [[Marcel Breuer]], [[Charles and Ray Eames]], [[Giò Ponti]] and [[Eileen Gray]]. The work of [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] is represented by the Kaufmann Office designed and constructed between 1934 and 1937 for the owner of a Pittsburgh department store;<ref>''Frank Lloyd Wright: The Kaufmann Office'', Christopher Wilk 1993</ref> not currently on display due to the closure of the Cole Wing for redevelopment as the new education centre — as well as other furniture and furnishings. Contemporary designers represented in the collection include [[Ron Arad (industrial designer)|Ron Arad]].
The most important musical instrument in the collection is a violin by [[Antonio Stradivari]] dated 1699, the most unusual musical instrument on display is the giant double bass attributed to [[Gasparo da Salò]] and once owned by [[Domenico Dragonetti]]. Edward Burne-Jones designed the grand piano in 1883 that was part of the Ionides's bequest, built by [[Broadwood and Sons]], of stained oak decorated with gold and silver-gilt gesso. Most of the musical instruments are either keyboard: pianos, spinets, harpsichords, organs or various string instruments, often with elaborate inlays or carving.
One of the oldest clocks in the collection is an astronomical clock of 1588 by Francis Nowe, one of the largest is James Markwick the youngers [[longcase clock]] of 1725 nearly 3 metres in height and [[japanned]]. Other clock makers with work in the collection include: [[Thomas Tompion]], [[Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy]], John Ellicott & William Carpenter.
===Glass===
The collection covers 4000 years of [[glass]] making, and has over 6000 items from Africa, Britain, Europe, America and Asia. The earliest glassware on display comes from Ancient Egypt and continues through the Ancient Roman, Medieval, Renaissance covering areas such as [[Venetian glass]] and [[Bohemian glass]] and more recent periods, including Art Nouveau glass by [[Louis Comfort Tiffany]] and [[Émile Gallé]], the Art Deco style is represented by several examples by René Lalique. There are many examples of crystal chandeliers both English,<ref>''The English Glass Chandelier'', Martin Mortimer 2000</ref> displayed in the British galleries and foreign for example Venetian (attributed to Giuseppe Briati) dated c1750 are in the collection. The [[Stained Glass]] collection is possibly the finest in the world, covering the medieval to modern periods, and covering Europe as well as Britain. Several examples of English sixteenth century [[Heraldic]] glass is displayed in the British Galleries. Many well known designers of stained glass are represented in the collection including, from the nineteenth century: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. There is also an example of Frank Lloyd Wright's work in the collection. Twentieth century designers include [[Harry Clarke]], [[John Piper (artist)|John Piper]], [[Patrick Reyntiens]], [[Veronica Whall]] and [[Brian Clarke]].<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/glass/stained_glass/index.html Stained Glass - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The main gallery was redesigned in 1994, the glass balustrade on the staircase and mezzanine are the work of [[Danny Lane]], the gallery covering contemporary glass opened in 2004 and the sacred silver and stained glass gallery in 2005. In this latter gallery stained glass is displayed along side silverware starting in the 12th century and continuing to the present. Some of the most outstanding stained glass, dated 1243-1248 comes from the [[Sainte Chapelle]], which will be displayed along with other examples in the new medieval galleries due to open in 2009. Examples of British stained glass are displayed in the British Galleries. One of the most spectacular items in the collection is the [[chandelier]] by [[Dale Chihuly]] in the rotunda at the Museum's main entrance.
===Metalwork===
This collection of over 45,000 items covers decorative [[ironwork]], both [[wrought iron|wrought]] and [[cast iron|cast]], [[bronze]], [[silverware]], [[weapon|arms]] and [[armour]], [[pewter]], [[brass]]ware and [[Vitreous enamel|enamel]]s (including many examples from [[Limoges]]). The main iron work gallery was redesigned in 1995.
There are over 10,000 objects made from silver or gold in the collection, the display (about 15% of the collection) is divided into secular<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/galleries/65/index.html British Silver Pre-1800, Room 65 - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and sacred<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/silver/sacred_silver/index.html The Sacred Silver Collection - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> covering both Christian ([[Roman Catholic]], [[Anglican]] and [[Greek Orthodox]]) and [[Jewish]] liturgical vessels and items. The main silver gallery is divided into these areas: British silver pre-1800; British silver 1800 to 1900; modernist to contemporary silver; European silver. The collection includes the earliest known piece of English silver with a dated hallmark, this is a silver gilt beaker dated 1496–97.
Silversmiths' whose work is represented in the collection include [[Paul de Lamerie]]<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/de_lamerie/index.html Paul de Lamerie Silver - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[Paul Storr]] whose Castlereagh Inkstand dated 1817–19 is one of his finest works.
The main Iron Work gallery covers European wrought and cast iron from the Medieval period to the Early 20th century. The master of wrought ironwork [[Jean Tijou]] is represented by both examples of his work and designs on paper. One of the largest items is the Hereford Screen,<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/hereford/index.html The Hereford Screen - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> weighing nearly 8 tonnes, 10.5 metres high and 11 metres wide, designed by [[Sir George Gilbert Scott]] in 1862 for the chancel in [[Hereford Cathedral]], from which it was removed in 1967. It was made by Skidmore & Company. Its structure of timber and cast iron is embellished with wrought iron, burnished brass and copper. Much of the copper and ironwork is painted in a wide range of colours. The arches and columns are decorated with polished quartz and panels of mosaic.<ref>[http://edward.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/hereford/about/index.html About The Hereford Screen - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
One of the rarest items in the collection is the 58 cm high [[Gloucester candlestick]],<ref>[http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/art-2810 Britannica Online Encyclopedia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> dated to c1110, made from gilt bronze; with highly elaborate and intricate intertwining branches containing small figures and inscriptions, it is a tour de force of bronze casting. Also of importance is [[The Becket Casket]] dated c1180 to contain relics of [[St Thomas Becket]], made from gilt copper, with enamelled scenes of the saint's martyrdom. Another highlight is the [[Reichenau]] [[Crozier]]<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/Reichenau_Crozier/index.html The Reichenau Crozier - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> dated 1351. These items will be displayed in the new medieval galleries due to open in 2009.
The [[Burghley]] Nef, a salt-cellar, French, dated 1527-28, uses a [[nautilus]] shell to form the hull of a vessel, which rests on the tail of a parcelgilt mermaid, who rests on a hexagonal gilt plinth on six claw-and-ball feet. Both masts have main and top-sails, and battlemented fighting-tops are made from gold. This will be displayed in the new Renaissance Galleries due to open 2009.
===Paintings and drawings===
The collection includes about 1130 British and 650 European [[oil painting]]s; 6800 British [[watercolour]]s, [[pastel]]s and 2000 [[Portrait miniature|miniature]]s, for which the museum holds the national collection. Also on loan to the museum, from Her Majesty the Queen [[Elizabeth II]], are the [[Raphael Cartoons]]:<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/paintings/raphael/index.html Raphael Cartoons - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the seven surviving (there were ten) full scale designs for tapestries in the [[Sistine Chapel]], of the lives of [[Peter]] and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] from the [[Gospel]]s and the [[Acts of the Apostles]]. There is also on display a fresco by [[Pietro Perugino]] dated 1522 from the church of Castello di Fortignano [[Perugia]] and is amongst the painter's last works. One of the largest objects in the collection is the Spanish tempera on wood, 670 x 486 cm, [[retable]] of St George, c1400, consisting of many scenes and painted by Andrés Marzal De Sax in [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]].
Nineteenth century British artists are well represented. John Constable and [[J.M.W. Turner]] are represented by oil paintings, water colours and drawings. One of the most unusual objects on display is [[Thomas Gainsborough]]'s experimental showbox with its back-lit landscapes, which he painted on glass, which allowed them to be changed like slides. Other landscape painters with works on display include [[Philip James de Loutherbourg]], [[Peter de Wint]] and [[John Ward]].
[[Image:Tintoretto - Self-Portrait as a Young Man.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Tintoretto|TINTORETTO]] - Self-Portrait as a Young Man]]
In 1857 [[John Sheepshanks]] gifted 233 paintings, mainly by contemporary British artists, and a similar number of drawings to the museum with the intention of forming a 'A National Gallery of British Art', a role since taken on by [[Tate Britain]]; artists represented are [[William Blake]], [[James Barry (painter)|James Barry]], [[Henry Fuseli]], Sir [[Edwin Henry Landseer]], Sir [[David Wilkie (artist)|David Wilkie]], [[William Mulready]], [[William Powell Frith]], [[Millais]] and [[Hippolyte Delaroche]]. Although some of Constable's works came to the museum with the Sheepshanks bequest, the majority of the artist's works were donated by his daughter Isabel in 1888,<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/school_stdnts/schools_teach/teachers_resources/constable_resource/index.html Constable - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> including the large number of sketches in oil, the most significant being the 1821 full size oil sketch<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/paintings/stories/Constable_Hay-Wain/index.html Constable's Studies for the Hay-Wain - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> for the ''[[The Hay Wain]]''. Other artists with works in the collection include: [[Bernardino Fungai]], [[Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger]], [[Domenico di Pace Beccafumi]], [[Fioravante Ferramola]], [[Jan Brueghel the Elder]], [[Anthony van Dyck]], [[Ludovico Carracci]], [[Antonio Verrio]], [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]], [[Domenico Tiepolo]], [[Canaletto]], [[Francis Hayman]], [[Pompeo Batoni]], [[Benjamin West]], [[Paul Sandby]], [[Richard Wilson (painter)|Richard Wilson]], [[William Etty]], [[Henry Fuseli]], [[Thomas Lawrence (painter)|Sir Thomas Lawrence]], [[James Barry (painter)|James Barry]], [[Francis Danby]], [[Richard Parkes Bonington]] & [[Alphonse Legros]].
Richard Ellison's collection of 100 British watercolours was given by his widow in 1860 and 1873 'to promote the foundation of the National Collection of Water Colour Paintings'. Over 500 British and European oil paintings, watercolours and miniatures and 3000 drawings and prints were bequeathed in 1868-9 by the clergymen Chauncey Hare Townshend and Alexander Dyce.
Several French paintings entered the collection as part of the 260 paintings and miniatures (not all the works were French, for example [[Carlo Crivelli]]'s Virgin and Child) that formed part of the Jones bequest of 1882 and as such are displayed in the galleries of continental art 1600-1800, including the portrait of the [[Duc d'Alençon]] by [[François Clouet]], [[Gaspard Dughet]] and works by [[François Boucher]] including his portrait of [[Madame de Pompadour]] dated 1758, [[Jean François de Troy]], [[Jean-Baptiste Pater]] and their contemporaries.
[[Image:Rembrandt - The Departure of the Shunammite Woman.1.jpg|thumb|160px|left|[[Rembrandt|REMBRANDT]] - The Departure of the Shunammite Woman]]
Another major Victorian benefactor was Constantine Alexander Ionides, who left 82 oil paintings to the museum in 1901, including works by [[Botticelli]], [[Tintoretto]], [[Adriaen Brouwer]], [[Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot]], [[Gustave Courbet]], [[Eugène Delacroix]], [[Théodore Rousseau]], [[Edgar Degas]], [[Jean-François Millet]], [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]], [[Edward Burne-Jones]], plus watercolours and over a 1000 drawings and prints
The Salting Bequest of 1909 included, amongst other works, water colours by [[J.M.W. Turner]]. Other water colourists include: [[William Gilpin (clergyman)|William Gilpin]], [[Thomas Rowlandson]], [[William Blake]], [[John Sell Cotman]], [[Paul Sandby]], [[William Mulready]], [[Edward Lear]], [[James Abbott McNeill Whistler]] and [[Paul Cezanne]].
There is a copy of Raphael's [[School of Athens]] over 4 metres by 8 metres in size, dated 1755 by [[Anton Raphael Mengs]] on display in the eastern Cast Court.
Miniaturists represented in the collection include [[Jean Bourdichon]], [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], [[Nicholas Hilliard]], [[Isaac Oliver]], [[Peter Oliver (painter)|Peter Oliver]], [[Jean Petitot]], [[Alexander Cooper]], [[Samuel Cooper]], [[Thomas Flatman]], [[Rosalba Carriera]], [[Christian Friedrich Zincke]], [[George Engleheart]], [[John Smart]], [[Richard Cosway]] & [[William Charles Ross]].
Drawings in the collection of c10,000 British and c2,000 old master works, include work by: [[Albrecht Dürer|Dürer]], [[Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione]], [[Bernardo Buontalenti]], [[Rembrandt]], [[Antonio Verrio]], [[Paul Sandby]], [[John Russell (painter)]], [[Angelica Kauffmann]], [[John Flaxman]],<ref>''John Flaxman 1755–1826: Sculptor, Illustrator, Designer'', David Irwin, 1979</ref> [[Hugh Douglas Hamilton]], [[Thomas Rowlandson]], [[Thomas Girtin]], [[Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres]], [[David Wilkie]], [[John Martin (painter)]], [[Samuel Palmer]], Sir [[Edwin Henry Landseer]], Lord [[Frederic Leighton]], Sir [[Luke Fildes|Samuel Luke Fildes]] and [[Aubrey Vincent Beardsley]]. Modern British artists represented in the collection include: [[Paul Nash]], [[Percy Wyndham Lewis]], [[Eric Gill]], [[Stanley Spencer]], [[John Piper (artist)|John Piper]], [[Graham Sutherland]], [[Lucien Freud]] and [[David Hockney]]. In order to conserve the drawings, the displays in the gallery are changed regularly.
<Gallery>
Image:Botticelli - Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli.jpg|[[Sandro Botticelli|BOTTICELLI]] - Portrait of a Lady known as [[Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli|Smeralda Bandinelli]]
Image:Pietro Perugino - The Nativity; the Virgin, St Joseph and the Shepherds adoring the Infant Christ.jpg|[[Pietro Perugino|PERUGINO]] - [[Nativity of Jesus|The Nativity]]; the Virgin, St Joseph and the Shepherds adoring the Infant Christ
Image:Tiepolo - St Leo in Glory.jpg|[[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo|TIEPOLO]] - St Leo in Glory
</Gallery>
{{Western European & American Paintings}}
{{Prints and Drawings}}
===Periods and styles===
These galleries cover an entire period in western design, objects on display cover all areas of the museum's collections relevant to that period, these are: [[Medieval]] and [[Renaissance]]; [[Baroque]] and [[Rococo]]; 18th century including [[Neoclassicism]]; 19th century including, [[Empire Style]], [[Arts and Crafts movement|Arts and Crafts]] and [[Art Nouveau]]; 20th century including, [[Art Deco]] and [[Modernism]]. All these galleries are closed but due to reopen by 2008 or 2009.
===Photography===
The collection contains over 500,000 images dating from the advent of [[photography]], the oldest image dating from 1839. The gallery displays a series of changing exhibits and is closed when between exhibitions to allow re-display.
The collection includes the work of many photographers from [[Fox Talbot]], [[Julia Margaret Cameron]], [[Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden|Clementina Maude]], [[Gustave Le Gray]], [[Benjamin Brecknell Turner]], [[Frederick Hollyer]], [[Samuel Bourne]], [[Roger Fenton]], [[Man Ray]], [[Henri Cartier-Bresson]], [[Ilse Bing]], [[Bill Brandt]], [[Cecil Beaton]] (there are over 8000 of his [[Negative (photography)|negative]]s), [[Don McCullin]], [[David Bailey (photographer)|David Bailey]] and [[Helen Chadwick]] to the present day.
One of the more unusual collections is that of [[Eadweard Muybridge]]'s photographs of Animal Locomotion of 1887, this consists of 781 plates. These sequences of photographs taken a fraction of a second apart capture images of different animals and humans performimg various actions. There are several of [[John Thomson (photographer)|John Thomson]]'s 1876-7 images of Street Life in London in the collection. One of the most interesting of the collections are the [[James Lafayette]] society portraits, the collection contains over 600 photographs dating from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The subjects covered include: bishops, generals, society ladies, Indian maharajas, Ethiopian rulers and other foreign leaders, actresses, people posing in their motor cars and a series covering the famous fancy dress ball held at [[Devonshire House]] in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.
In 2003 and 2007 Penelope Smail and Kathleen Moffat, generously donated Curtis Moffat's extensive archive to the Museum. He created dynamic abstract photographs, innovative colour still-lives and glamorous society portraits during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also a pivotal figure in Modernist interior design. In Paris during the 1920s, Moffat collaborated with Man Ray, producing portraits and abstract [[photogram]]s or 'rayographs'.
===Prints and books===
The museum houses the National Art Library,<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/prints_books/prints_books/books/index.html Book Collections - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, containing over 750,000 books, it is one of the world's largest libraries dedicated to the study of fine and decorative arts. The library covers all areas and periods of the museum's collections with special collections covering [[illuminated manuscript]]s, rare books and artists' letters and archives.
The Library consists of three large public rooms, with around a hundred individual study desks. These are the West Room, Centre Room and Reading Room. The West Room is currently closed but will reopen in 2007. The centre room contains 'special collection material'.
One of the great treasures in the library is the Codex Forster, some of [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s note books. The Codex consists of three parchment-bound manuscripts, Forster I, Forster II, and Forster III,<ref>[http://www.vandaimages.com/results.asp?cat1=Leonardo+da+Vinci&X8=2-33 V&A Images - Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> quite small in size, dated between 1490 and 1505. [[Image:‘Man climbing a ladder’, Codex Forster II, folios 45v, red chalk.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Leonardo da Vinci|LEONARDO DA VINCI]] - ‘Man climbing a ladder’, Codex [[John Forster|Forster]] II, folios 45v]] Their contents include a large collection of sketches and references to the equestrian sculpture commissioned by the Duke of Milan [[Ludovico Sforza]] to commemorate his father [[Francesco Sforza]]. These were bequeathed with over 18,000 books to the museum in 1876 by [[John Forster]].<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/prints_books/forster_collection/index.html Forster Collection - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Reverend [[Alexander Dyce]]<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/prints_books/dyce_collection/index.html Dyce Collection - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> was another benefactor of the library, leaving over 14,000 books to the museum in 1869. Amongst the books he collected are early editions in Greek and Latin of the poets and playwrights [[Aeschylus]], [[Aristotle]], [[Homer]], [[Livy]], [[Ovid]], [[Pindar]], [[Sophocles]] and [[Virgil]]. More recent authors include [[Giovanni Boccaccio]], [[Dante]], [[Racine]], [[Rabelais]] and [[Molière]].
Writers whose papers are in the library are as diverse as [[Charles Dickens]] and [[Beatrix Potter]].<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/paintings/beatrix_potter/index.html Beatrix Potter Collections - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Illuminated manuscripts in the library dating from the 12th to 16th centuries include: the Eadwine [[Psalter]], [[Canterbury]]; Pocket [[Book of Hours]], [[Rheims]]; [[Missal]] from the Royal Abbey of [[Saint Denis]], Paris; the Simon Marmion Book of Hours, [[Bruges]]; 1524 Charter illuminated by [[Lucas Horenbout]], London; the Armagnac manuscript of the trial and rehabilitation of [[Joan of Arc]], [[Rouen]].<ref>''Illuminated Manuscripts and Their Makers'', Rowan Watson, 2003</ref> also the Victorian period is represented by William Morris.
The print collection has over 500,000 items, covering: posters, greetings cards, book plates, as well as prints from the renaissance to the present, including works by [[Rembrandt]], [[William Hogarth]], [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi]], [[Canaletto]], [[Karl Friedrich Schinkel]], [[Henri Matisse]] and [[Sir William Nicholson]].
<Gallery>
Image:‘Truncated and stellated dodecahedron’, Codex Forster I, folios 6v - 7r, pen and ink.jpg|[[Leonardo da Vinci|LEONARDO DA VINCI]] - ‘Truncated and stellated dodecahedron’, Codex [[John Forster|Forster]] I, folios 6v - 7r
</Gallery>
===Sculpture===
The Sculpture collection at the V&A is the most comprehensive holding of post-classical European sculpture in the world. There are approximately 17,500 objects<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/history/vanda_150/150facts/index.html 150 Facts about the V&A for the 150th Anniversary - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in the collection that cover the period from about 400 AD to 1914. This covers amongst other periods [[Byzantine]] and [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo Saxon]] [[ivory]] sculptures, British, French and Spanish medieval statues and carvings, the Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Victorian and [[Art Nouveau]] periods. All uses of sculpture are represented, from tomb and memorial, to portrait, [[allegorical]], religious, [[mythical]], statues for gardens including fountains, as well as architectural decorations. Materials used include, marble, alabaster, stone, [[terracotta]], wood ([[history of wood carving]]), ivory, [[gesso]], plaster, bronze, lead and ceramics.
[[Image:Bernini - Neptune & Triton.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[Gian Lorenzo Bernini|BERNINI]] - [[Neptune and Triton (Bernini)|Neptune & Triton]]]]
The collection of Italian, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical sculpture (both original and in cast form) is unequalled outside of Italy. It includes [[Canova]]'s ''[[The Three Graces]]'', which the museum jointly owns with [[National Galleries of Scotland]]. Italian sculptors whose work is held by the museum include: [[Bartolomeo Bon]], [[Bartolomeo Bellano]], [[Luca della Robbia]], [[Giovanni Pisano]], [[Donatello]], [[Agostino di Duccio]], [[Andrea Riccio]], [[Antonio Rossellino]], [[Andrea del Verrocchio]], [[Antonio Lombardo (sculptor)|Antonio Lombardo]], [[Andrea Riccio]], [[Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi]], [[Andrea della Robbia]], [[Michelozzo di Bartolomeo]], [[Michelangelo]] (represented by a freehand wax model and casts of his most famous sculptures), [[Jacopo Sansovino]], [[Alessandro Algardi]], Antonio Calcagni, [[Benvenuto Cellini]] ([[Medusa]]'s head dated c1547), [[Agostino Busti]], [[Bartolomeo Ammanati]], [[Giacomo della Porta]], [[Giambologna]] (Samson Slaying a Philistine c1562, his finest work outside Italy), [[Bernini]] ([[Neptune and Triton (Bernini)|Neptune and Triton]] c1622–3), [[Giovanni Battista Foggini]], Vincenzo Foggini (Samson and the Philistines), [[Massimiliano Soldani Benzi]], [[Antonio Corradini]], [[Andrea Brustolon]], [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi]], [[Innocenzo Spinazzi]], Canova, [[Carlo Marochetti]] and [[Rafaelle Monti]]. An unusual sculpture is the ancient Roman statue of Narcissus restored by Valerio Cioli c1564 with plaster. There are several small scale bronzes by Donatello, [[Alessandro Vittoria]], [[Tiziano Aspetti]] & [[Francesco Fanelli]] in the collection. The largest item from Italy is the Chancel Chapel from Santa Chiara Florence dated 1493–1500, designed by [[Giuliano da Sangallo]] it is 11.1 metres in height by 5.4 metres square, it includes a grand sculpted tabernacle by Antonio Rossellino and coloured terracotta decoration.<ref>''European Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum'', Paul Williamson, Editor, 1996</ref>
[[Image:Donatello - The Ascension with Christ giving the Keys to St Peter.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Donatello]] - One of the finest surviving examples of Donatello's work in [[low-relief|rilievo schiacciato]]]]
[[Rodin]] is represented by over 20 works in the museum collection, making it one of the largest collections of the sculptor's work outside France; these were gifted to the museum by the sculptor in 1914, as acknowledgement of Britain's support of France in [[World War I]]<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/sculpture/rodin/index.html Rodin at the V&A - Victoria and Albert Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, although the statue of [[St John the Baptist]] had been purchased in 1902 by public subscription. Other French sculptors with work in the collection are [[Hubert Le Sueur]], [[François Girardon]], [[Michel Clodion]], [[Jean-Antoine Houdon]], [[Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux]] and [[Jules Dalou]].
There are also several Renaissance works by Northern European sculptors in the collection including work by: [[Veit Stoss]], [[Tilman Riemenschneider]], [[Hendrick de Keyser]], [[Jan van Schayck]], [[Hans Daucher]] & [[Peter Flotner]]. Baroque works from the same area include the work of, [[Adriaen de Vries]] & [[Sébastien Slodtz]]. The Spanish sculpters with work in the collection include [[Alonso Berrugete]] and [[Luisa Roldán]] represented by her Virgin and Child with St Diego of Alcala c1695.
Sculptors both British and Europeans who were based in Britain and whose work is in the collection include:<ref>''Sculpture in Britain 1530–1830'', Margaret Whinney, 2nd Edition, 1988</ref> [[Nicholas Stone]], [[Caius Gabriel Cibber]], [[Grinling Gibbons]], [[John Michael Rysbrack]], [[Louis-Francois Roubiliac]], [[Peter Scheemakers]], Sir Henry Cheere, [[Agostino Carlini]], [[Thomas Banks]], [[Joseph Nollekens]], [[Joseph Wilton]], [[John Flaxman]], [[Sir Francis Chantrey]], [[John Gibson (sculptor)|John Gibson]], [[Edward Hodges Baily]], [[Lord Leighton]], [[Alfred Stevens]], [[Thomas Brock]], [[Alfred Gilbert]], [[George Frampton]], [[Eric Gill]]. A sample of some of these sculptors' work is on display in the British Galleries.
With the opening of the Dorothy and [[Michael Hintze]] sculpture galleries in 2006 it was decided to extend the chronology of the works on display up to 1950, this has involved loans by other museums, including Tate Britain, so works by [[Henry Moore]] and [[Jacob Epstein]] along with other of their contemporaries are now on view. These galleries concentrate on works dated 1600 to 1950 by British sculptors, works by continental sculptors who worked in Britain, and works bought by British patrons from the continental sculptors, such as Canova's ''Theseus and the Minotaur''. The galleries overlooking the garden are arranged by theme, tomb sculpture, portraiture, garden sculpture and mythology. Then there is a section that covers late nineteenth and early twentieth century sculpture, this includes work by Rodin and other French sculptors such as Dalou who spent several years in Britain where he taught sculpture.
Smaller scale works are displayed in the Gilbert Bayes gallery, covering medieval especially English [[Nottingham Alabaster|alabaster]] sculpture, bronzes, wooden sculptures and has demonstrations of various techniques such as [[bronze]] casting using [[Lost-wax casting]].
The majority of the Medieval and Renaissance sculpture will be displayed in the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries in 2009.
One of the largest objects in the collection is the Hertogenbosch [[Rood]]loft,<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/8864-popup.html Image - V&A<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> from Holland, dated 1610–1613 this is as much a work of architecture as sculpture, 10.4 metres wide, 7.8 metres high, the architectural framework is of various coloured marbles including columns, arches and balustrade, against which are statues and [[bas-relief]]s and other carvings in alabaster, the work of sculptor Conrad van Norenberch.
===Textiles===
The collection of textiles consists of over 38,000 examples, mainly western European though all populated continents are represented, dating from 1st century AD to the present, this is the largest such collection in the world. Techniques represented include: weaving, printing, [[embroidery]], [[lace]], [[tapestry]] and carpets. These are classified by technique, countries of origin and date of production. The collections are well represented in these areas: early [[silk]]s from the Near East, lace, European tapestries and English medieval church embroidery.
Both of the major English centres of tapestry weaving of the 16th & 17th centuries respectively, Sheldon & [[Mortlake]] are represented in the collection by several examples. As are examples from John Vanderbank's workshop, the leading English tapestry manufactory in the late 17th & early 18th centuries. Some of the finest tapestries are examples from the [[Gobelins manufactory|Gobelins]] workshop, including a set of 'Jason and the Argonauts' dating from the 1750s. Other continental centres of tapestry weaving with work in the collection include [[Brussels]], [[Tournai]], [[Beauvais]], [[Strasbourg]] & [[Florence]]. One of the highlights of the collection is the four Devonshire Hunting Tapestries,<ref>[http://www.vandaimages.com/results.asp?cat1=Devonshire+Hunting+Tapestries&X8=17-15 V&A Images - Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> very rare 15th century tapestries, woven in the [[Netherlands]], depicting the hunting of various animals; not just their age but their size make these unique. The collection has numerous examples of various types of textiles designed by William Morris<ref> pages 234 to 295, William Morris, Linda Parry Editor 1996</ref>, including, embroidery, woven fabrics, tapestries (Including the 'The Forest' tapestry of 1887), rugs and carpets, as well as pattern books and paper designs. The art deco period is covered by rugs and fabrics designed by [[Marion Dorn]]. From the same period there is a rug designed by [[Serge Chermayeff]].
===Theatre Museum===
The [[Theatre Museum]] closed on [[7 January]] [[2007]]. The collections are stored by the V&A and are available for research and exhibitions. The V&A Theatre Collection's galleries are opening in November 2007, starting with an exhibition in conjunction with the Society of British Theatre Designers.
==Exhibitions==
The V&A holds some of the most impressive exhibitions on art in London, this is in part because of the large galleries devoted to temporary exhibitions. A typical year will see over a dozen different exhibitions being staged covering all areas of the collections. Some of the larger exhibitions of recent years have been:
*Art Deco: [[27 March]] – [[20 July]] [[2003]]
*Gothic Art for England 1400–1547: [[9 October]] [[2003]] – [[18 January]] [[2004]]
*Encounters The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500–1800: [[23 September]] – [[5 December]] [[2004]]
*International Arts and Crafts: [[17 March]] – [[24 July]] [[2005]]
*Modernism Designing a New World: [[6 April]] [[2006]] – [[23 July]] [[2006]]
*[[Kylie Minogue|Kylie]] — The Exhibition: [[8 February]] – [[10 June]] [[2007]]
*The Golden Age of Couture - Paris & London 1947-1957 [[22 September]] [[2007]] - [[9 January]] [[2008]]
==Directors==
{{see also|Directors of the V&A Museum}}
== Images ==
http://www.vandaimages.com
===Glass===
<Gallery></Gallery>
===Paintings & Drawings===
<Gallery>
Image:Ionides Bequest.2.jpg|Room 81 - The Ionides Bequest - 82 paintings donated,including works by [[Botticelli]] and [[Tintoretto]]
</Gallery>
=== Sculpture ===
<gallery>
Image:Canova - Theseus & Minotaur.jpg|Room 22 — Sculpture 1600–1870, [[Canova]] — Theseus and the Minotaur
Image:Beautiful Hall of Replicas.jpg|Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Image:Picture 251.jpg|Room 24 — Sculpture 1600–1870
</gallery>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|Victoria and Albert Museum}}
* V&A websites:
**[http://www.vam.ac.uk/ The official Victoria and Albert Museum site]
**[http://www.vandaprints.com/?ref=wiki&ad=vaa01 The official V&A print website]
**[http://www.vandaimages.com/ The V&A Images website]
**[http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/past_exhibs/ A list of past exhibitions held at the V&A]
*Victoria and Albert Museum at the ''[[Survey of London]]'' online:
**[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47519 Architectural history (to 1975) and description]
**[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47663 Plans]
{{London museums}}
{{Textile museums}}
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