Room 42: Islamic Art
The Jameel Gallery houses over 400 objects, including ceramics, textiles, carpets, metalwork, glass and woodwork, w…
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Room 125c: Influences from Beyond Europe
This gallery shows objects from Victorian Britain when retailers sold a growing range of goods imported from Asia a…
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Room 137: Ceramics Study Galleries Asia and Europe
The Curtain Foundation Gallery houses the greater part of the V&A’s ceramics collection. In this room you will find…
Read articleRoom 144: Architectural Ceramics
The Headley Trust Gallery contains a fine selection of tiles and other dramatic large-scale ceramics. It includes …
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Room 145: World Ceramics
This second principal gallery offers a chronological and world-wide introduction to ceramics with objects from the …
Read articleIslamic Middle East Interactives
Learn more about some of the objects and themes in the Islamic Middle East galleries by exploring these interactives.
About the Asian collections
The V&A collections of Asian art, including Islamic, Chinese and Indian collections.
Europe & the Islamic Mediterranean AD 700–1600
As Islam became established, contacts developed with the Christian-ruled states of Europe. The city republics of Venice, Florence and Genoa controlled maritime trade in the Mediterranean, and their merchants were principally responsible for the movement of Islamic goods around its coasts. These objects were prized, because at least initially the materials and techniques used to make them were far more sophisticated than anything being made in Europe at the time.
Festivals of Light - Islam
In Islam, as in Judaism, God is never depicted. Nor is it possible to describe Him through references to the physical world. God can, though, be understood through reference to light.
Plant motifs in Islamic art
Plant motifs and patterns in Islamic vart
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East
A fascinating introduction to Islamic art and culture drawing on examples from the world famous collections at the V&A.
Buy nowEvent - Arts of Asia 11/12
Mon 12 September 2011–Mon 16 July 2012

COURSE: Discover the Arts of Asia, 1500–1900 in this popular Year Course focusing on the rich diversity of artistic traditions found within the vast territories of the Islamic Middle East, South Asia and China. You can book the full course, or select individual terms or days. Mondays, 12 September 2011 – 16 July 2012 (over 3 terms)
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