This is the subject hub for the V&A Paintings collection which includes superlative holdings of British watercolours and portrait miniatures as well as over 2,000 British and European oil paintings.
History of the paintings collection
The Paintings collection was an original part of the Museum of Ornamental Art, later re-named the Victoria and Albert Museum, which opened at South Kensington in June 1857.…
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The Raphael Cartoons
The Raphael Cartoons were commissioned from the great Italian Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) in 1515 by Pope Leo X (reigned 1513-21). They were planned as f…
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Studies for 'The Hay Wain', by John Constable, 1821
Originally exhibited under the title 'Landscape: Noon', the finished painting was referred to by Constable's friend Archdeacon Fisher as 'The Haywain' as early as February …
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'Young Man Among Roses' by Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619)
Nicholas Hilliard's 'Young Man Among Roses' has come to epitomise the romantic vision of the sonnet hero of Shakespeare's England. Tall, with handsome features, curly dark …
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Become a V&A Member
V&A Members enjoy a wealth of benefits, including free entry to exhibitions, previews, exciting events and the V&A Members’ Room. In addition, you will be supporting the vital work of the V&A.
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The Painted World: From Illumination to Abstraction (Paperback)
The Painted World takes the outstanding collections of the V&A as the starting point for an all-inclusive survey of painting from the Middle Ages …
Buy nowEvent - Paintings Gallery Tour
Thu 23 May 2013 11:00
The V&A’s collection of British and European oil paintings is less well known than its holdings of sculpture and the applied arts, however the Museum has acquired oil paintings since its foundation.
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