Room 56c: Britain & the Indies
This room looks at the development of British art and design in the late 17th and early 18th centuries as a result of Britain's burgeoning trade with Asia and the Americas. Tea, spices, porcelain, lacquer, silks and cottons were imported from Asia. The fashion for imports from Asia stimulated imitations and adaptations, in particular, painted furniture which was described as 'japanned'. British makers often did not distinguish between the different countries of 'the Indies' and mixed images and motifs to create what appeared to them to be an exotic effect.
Room 56c is on Level 2 of the V&A South Kensington.
British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age
31 March–12 August 2012
Showcasing over 300 British design objects, this exhibition celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games' to the summer of 2012.
More detailsShop online
The Lost Album: A Visual History of 1950s Britain
A captivating snapshot of how people lived and played in Britain during the 1950s.
Buy nowEvent - Handmade in Britain
Wed 22 February 2012 13:00
LUNCHTIME LECTURE: Join V&A curator Joanna Norman as she discusses some of the objects featured in the BBC Handmade in Britain programmes, looking at how and why they were made, and what they say about the social and cultural context in which we have lived in the past and continue to live today.
More details
