Beatrix Potter: a life drawing nature
Beatrix Potter: a life drawing nature
Explore a selection of highlights from Beatrix's life of drawing nature
Drawing
The V&A holds over 14,000 European drawings and sketchbooks dating from the 15th century to the present day. The collection covers a broad range of materials and techniques used by artists. It showcases the various functions of drawing, from preparatory studies for paintings to designs for textiles and fashion.
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The collection is particularly strong in drawings by British, Italian, French, Dutch and Flemish artists. Highlights include works by world-renowned artists such as Tintoretto, Anthony van Dyck, Angelica Kauffman, John Constable, Degas, and Barbara Hepworth.
Collection highlights
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Design for a monument in the form of a covered bowl, with a personification of Justice on the cover and other figures, drawing, by Andrea del Verrocchio, 1480 – 88, Italy -
Studies of figures, including a Virgin and Child, the heads of two angels, a youth and a draped female, drawing, by Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Italy -
Panoramic View of Jaén, with the Figure of a Man Sketching in the Foreground, drawing, by Anton van den Wyngaerde, 1567, Andalusia, Spain -
Design for the Great Seal depicting Elizabeth I, pen and ink drawing, by Nicholas Hilliard, about 1585, London, England -
Study for a Male Figure Descending, drawing, by Peter Paul Rubens, about 1613 – 14, Southern Netherlands -
Fantasy view of the ruins of a castle on a river, with a barge crossing the ford, drawing, by Antonina Houbraken, Holland -
Design for the ceiling of the Great Hall at Blenheim, drawing, by Sir James Thornhill, about 1715, England -
Page from a sketch book: No. 94 Woman reading at a table, chalk drawing, by Angelica Kauffman, late 1790s, Europe -
Sketchbook of drawings, by John Constable, July 1814 to October 1814, England -
Female nude, seated, bending forward, drawing, by William Mulready, 1856, Britain -
Study for 'The Channel at Gravelines, Evening', drawing, by Georges Seurat, 1890, France -
A gazelle, drawing, by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, 1913, France -
Blast Furnace, watercolour drawing, by Graham Vivian Sutherland, 1941, England -
Untitled, multi-pen plotter drawing on paper, by Roman Verostko, 1987, USA -
Head Study Two, drawing, by Alison Lambert, 2009, England -
Drawing, by Jacopo Tintoretto, about 1540 – 94, Italy
Features
Illustration inspired by Beatrix Potter's botanical drawing
Illustration inspired by Beatrix Potter's botanical drawing
Chris Riddell: Drawing 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'
Chris Riddell: Drawing 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'
How to draw Alice, The White Rabbit, The Queen of Hearts and a unique, androgynous Mad Hatter
Jewellery designs
Jewellery designs
Take a look at some of the intricate jewellery designs we have in our collection
Constable's watercolour sketches
Constable's watercolour sketches
Take a closer look at the techniques used by Constable in his later works
Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks
Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks
The V&A holds five notebooks owned by Leonardo da Vinci – a unique insight into one of the greatest minds of the Italian Renaissance
Explore Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks: Codex Forster I
Explore Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks: Codex Forster I
The complete notebook in amazing detail
Gerald Scarfe: drawing inspiration
Gerald Scarfe: drawing inspiration
Join the cartoonist Gerald Scarfe as he discusses his varied work and career
Watercolours from the Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo
Watercolours from the Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo
One of the grandest pictorial records of the 17th century
Architects and their sketchbooks
Architects and their sketchbooks
Architects sketchbooks provide freedom. They are a personal record of thoughts, observations, problems and memories
Aubrey Beardsley – decadence & desire
Aubrey Beardsley – decadence & desire
"I have one aim – the grotesque. If I am not grotesque, I am nothing"
Design for a vaulted ceiling by Vincenzo Brenna
Design for a vaulted ceiling by Vincenzo Brenna
Find out about Architect Vincenzo Brenna's elegant hand drawn designs for Emperor Nero's Roman palace
Philip Webb: a new vision for domestic space
Philip Webb: a new vision for domestic space
Philip Webb's designs for Red House highlight his quietly revolutionary approach to the design of domestic space
Beatrix Potter's first sketchbook, aged 8
Beatrix Potter's first sketchbook, aged 8
Explore Beatrix Potter's earliest surviving sketchbook
Design and make a surreal critter
Design and make a surreal critter
Create your own surreal critter with these drawing challenges
Design and make a spectacular party outfit
Design and make a spectacular party outfit
Design a party outfit inspired by the shapes and patterns of men's fashion through the ages
Header image: Panoramic View of Jaén, with the Figure of a Man Sketching in the Foreground, drawing, by Anton van den Wyngaerde, 1567, Andalucia, Spain. Accession no. 8455:4. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London