Sir Paul Pindar's house
The façade of Sir Paul Pindar's house, originally in Bishopsgate, London, is an outstanding survival of a London ti…
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'Queen Elizabeth's virginal', probably by Giovanni Baffo, 1594
With its variety of different decoration techniques and luxurious materials, the keyboard instrument known as the Q…
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Portrait miniatures: royal portraiture 1580-1625
Miniatures were particularly useful to the monarchy. They were small enough to be given personally, sometimes in a …
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Portrait miniatures: Nicholas Hilliard & Isaac Oliver
From his workshop in Gutter Lane, London, Nicholas Hilliard painted both courtiers and other wealthy patrons.…
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Renaissance music 1400–1600
The recordings you can listen to on this page are featured throughout the Museum's Medieval & Renaissance galleries…
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Poems about the V&A: 'Mary's elephant, Elizabeth's spinet' by Ruth Padel
In 2002 the V&A and the Poetry Book Society commissioned five poets to create new works inspired by the British Gal…
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Tudors & Stuarts: British Art & Design 1500-1700
SHORT COURSE: Discover the fascinating history of art, architecture and decorative arts during one of the most tumultuous and pioneering periods in British history. From 1500–1700 Britain became Europe’s most successful commercial economy and witnessed an extraordinary flowering of its culture and arts. In architecture, vast Tudor power houses like Hardwick were lavishly decorated with carved wood, paintings, tapestries and textiles. Furniture and embroidered upholstery became more sumptuous, and gold and silverware reached new heights of sophistication. Artists from Holbein to Hilliard were widely admired until Van Dyck pointed painting in a radically new direction. Explore the development of the principal buildings, interiors, furnishings and art of the period, as well as the main styles and tastes of the times. Thursdays, 27 September – 6 December 2012 (Half term: 1 November), 10.30–13.00 £332.50, £258 concessions Concessions available.
Audio: St George cabinet by William Morris
The highly decorated St George's Cabinet demonstrates William Morris' love of romance. It was painted by Morris for the 1862 International Exhibition in London, to show the products of his new interior design company, Morris & Co.
'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 brown hair, and an incipient moustache, he leans with his hand on his heart against the trunk of a tree encircled by a bush of white roses.
Private group tours & talks
We offer a wide range of tours to meet your group requirements. Whether a group has a special area of interest, wishes to explore a particular gallery or just get an overview of the Museum's collection the Groups Team can help
17th-century fashion reading list
Recommended reading about 17th century fashion
Donate to the Stained Glass Appeal
We are currently working on an exciting project to conserve and re-install the original stained glass on the landings of the Manfred and Lydia Gorvy Lecture Theatre. We need your help to raise £75,000 to bring these historical features back to their former glory for us all to enjoy.
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Design and the Decorative Arts: Tudor and Stuart Britain 1500-1714
Tells the story of design and the decorative arts in Britain from the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Buy nowEvent - Tudors & Stuarts: British Art & Design 1500-1700
Thu 27 September 2012 10:30
SHORT COURSE: Discover the fascinating history of art, architecture and decorative arts during one of the most tumultuous and pioneering periods in British history.
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