Art & design in early medieval Europe 300–1000
Part of a chronological series of articles covering the period 300-1600, this article contains a brief overview of …
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Art & design in medieval Europe 1000–1200
Part of a chronological series of articles covering the period 300-1600, this article contains a brief overview of …
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Medieval monasteries
Christian monasticism developed in Egypt in the 3rd century when some Christians chose poverty and isolation as a w…
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Gothic architecture
The style of architecture we now call Gothic first emerged in northern France in around 1140. It evolved during the…
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Charlemagne and Aachen
Charlemagne (747–814) ruled over the largest empire in western Europe since the height of the Roman Empire. Charlem…
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Champlevé enamelling 1100–1250
Between 1100–1250 specialist metalworkers flourished in the areas around Cologne (the Rhineland), Liège (the Meuse …
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The Gloucester candlestick: origins & meaning
The ‘Gloucester candlestick’, dating from 1104–13, belonged to the Church of St Peter in Gloucester (now Gloucester…
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Apocalypse & the Book of Revelation
The apocalypse comes from the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, which describes the final battle betw…
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Study Room resource: Medieval writing and printing
The contents of this resource has been put together to illustrate book production from the hand-made manuscript to …
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Dame Joan Evans
Dame Joan Evans was a scholar of Medieval art and a member of the V&A’s Advisory Council. She donated her extensive collection of jewels to the Museum in 1975.
Islamic Middle East
The V&A holds over 19,000 items from the Middle East and North Africa, ranging from the early Islamic period (the 7th century) to the early 20th century. The collections include holdings of metalwork, ceramics, architectural woodwork and textiles, in particular from Iran, and also from Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and the countries of North Africa.
Medieval & Renaissance Galleries guide app
Download the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries Guide app and discover the treasures of these award-winning galleries which opened in 2009.
Festivals of Light - Christianity
The Gloucester Candlestick, one of the finest examples of medieval Christian art in the Museum, demonstrates the importance of light in Christian worship. Candles were an important part of medieval Christian ceremony.
Africans in medieval and Renaissance art: Heathen
The colour black has long been used to evoke a negative image, and the colour white a positive one. In the later Middle Ages, the persecutors of Jesus were sometimes depicted as black, perhaps with exaggerated features and images of the martyrdom of saints often showed the executioner as black.
Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950
From 19 May 2012 the V&A celebrates the opening of the newly renovated Fashion Galleries with an exhibition of beautiful ballgowns, red carpet evening dresses and catwalk showstoppers.
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Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture
Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Buy nowEvent - Early Medieval 11/12
Fri 16 September 2011–Fri 13 July 2012
COURSE: Explore the visual arts of the Medieval period through the V&A’s abundant medieval collections, including architecture and sculpture, metalwork and enamels, silks and embroidery, ivory carving and manuscript illumination, wall painting and mosaic. You can book the full year course, or select individual terms or days. Fridays, 16 September 2011 – 13 July 2012 (over 3 terms)
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