Room 57: The Great Bed of Ware
The enormous, three-metre-wide, Great Bed of Ware dominates Room 57. Probably built for an inn at Ware, Hertfordshire, about 1590, it is twice the size of a normal bed of the period. In contrast to this, portrait miniatures, popular during the reign of Elizabeth I are also on display here. Aiming to give the impression of stability, Elizabeth commissioned artists to create highly stylized portraits of herself which were distributed both in the form of prints to the masses as well as miniatures in lockets and gold cases to her favourites.
From 5 March 2012 the Great Bed begins its journey back to Ware. It is leaving the V&A on a year-long loan to the Ware Museum – the first time the Bed has ever been on loan to another venue.
Room 57 is on Level 2 of the V&A South Kensington.
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The Front Room
The Front Room is a unique study by writer/curator Michael McMillan
Buy nowEvent - Norfolk House Music Room Concert
Fri 01 October 2010–Fri 13 July 2012
LIVE MUSIC: Free concerts by musicians from the Royal College of Music are performed on selected Friday evenings in the beautiful setting of the Norfolk House Music Room, from 18.30 – 19.30.
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