Renaissance
Features
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Renaissance musicMusic underwent an extraordinary transformation from the mid-15th to the early 17th century
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Donatello – a master at work
Discover how Donatello manipulated materials to create masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture
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Piccolpasso's treatise on maiolica
The V&A not only holds the greatest collection of maiolica in the world, but also this unique treatise describing its manufacture.
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Sir Paul Pindar's House
An outstanding survival of a London timber-framed house built before the Great Fire of 1666
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The art of the copy: the origin of the Wimbledon ladies trophyDiscover the origin of the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships trophy
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The Almain Armourers’ Album
One of the Museum's great Elizabethan treasures, this book of armour designs charts some of the most spectacular armour ever made
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Reviving Angels: conservation in action
Find out how extensive conservation work has enlivened the appearance of the Wolsey Angels and ensured their future preservation
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The Great Bed of WareDiscover the bawdy history of one of the V&A's best-known objects
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Invisible women: uncovering gendered histories
Discover hidden female histories in our collection
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Italian Renaissance pottery – 'beautiful women' plates'Belle donne' plates promoted an ideal of the perfect woman: beautiful, virtuous, and not infrequently, dead.
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How was it made? Portrait miniatures
See how these tiny intricate paintings were made
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Perugino, and his rediscovery by the Pre-Raphaelites
Find out more about Perugino, one of the most successful artists of the Italian Renaissance
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The hidden power of gemstones: meanings, myths, and magicRevealing the hidden meanings and magical attributes of gemstones
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Unlocking a 17th-century strongbox: ASMR
Peek into the past as we look inside a historic strongbox
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Donatello's 'David'
Pre-dating Michelangelo's David, discover Donatello's marble and bronze sculptures of the Biblical hero
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Donatello's Florence
Discover 15th-century Florence, Italy, home to Renaissance master Donatello, with our interactive map
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Shakespeare's First Folio
Discover the secrets of a 400-year-old copy of Shakespeare's collected plays
Collection highlights
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Notebook (Codex Forster II) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1495 – 97, Milan, Italy. Museum no. MSL/1876/Forster/141/II, f. 91r.V&A South Kensington -
Pair of gauntlets, made by Lucio Piccinino, about 1585, Milan, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
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Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinell, painting, painted by Sandro Botticelli, 1470 – 80, Florence, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Hunting crossbow, about 1590, GermanyV&A South Kensington -
(Detail) The Dacre Dolphin, figure, 1507 – 25, Cumbria, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Parade shield, made by Jorg Sigman, 1552, Augsburg, GermanyV&A South Kensington -
Pair of gloves, made by Sheldon Tapestry Workshops, 1590 – 1610, Warwickshire, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Lantern, 1570 – 1600, Venice, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
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Pendant, late 16th century, EuropeV&A South Kensington -
Mechanical globe clock, made by Georg Roll and Johannes Reinhold, 1584, Augsburg, GermanyV&A South Kensington -
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October; The Labours of the Months, roundel, made by Luca della Robbia, 1450 – 56, Florence, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Samson Slaying a Philistine, figure group, sculpted by Giovanni Bologna, 1560 – 62, Florence, ItalyV&A South Kensington
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