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Renaissance

Rooms 50a – 50d

The Renaissance collections bring together masterpieces of northern and southern European art from the late 1400s to the early 1600s. Monumental sculptures, rich textiles and colourful ceramics show artists’ continued fascination with the art of the Roman world and the importance of the Christian church as patron.

Highlights include the greatest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture outside Italy, with pieces by Donatello, Andrea Briosco (‘il Riccio’) and Giambologna, as well as notebooks owned by Leonardo da Vinci. Richly-coloured stained glass from Northern Europe, rare carpets from Spain and a striking display of armour suggest the splendour and wealth of the period.

Where to find this collection

Rooms 50a – 50d

Rooms 62 – 64b

Rooms 8 – 10c
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manuscript — Notebook (Codex Forster II) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1495 – 97, Milan, Italy. Museum no. MSL/1876/Forster/141/II, f. 91r.

pair of gauntlets — Pair of gauntlets, made by Lucio Piccinino, about 1585, Milan, Italy

painting — Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinell, painting, painted by Sandro Botticelli, 1470 – 80, Florence, Italy

hunting crossbow — Hunting crossbow, about 1590, Germany

(Detail) The Dacre Dolphin, figure, 1507 – 25, Cumbria, England

parade shield — Parade shield, made by Jorg Sigman, 1552, Augsburg, Germany

pair of gloves — Pair of gloves, made by Sheldon Tapestry Workshops, 1590 – 1610, Warwickshire, England

full view — Lantern, 1570 – 1600, Venice, Italy

pendant — Pendant, late 16th century, Europe

mechanical globe clock — Mechanical globe clock, made by Georg Roll and Johannes Reinhold, 1584, Augsburg, Germany

roundel — October; The Labours of the Months, roundel, made by Luca della Robbia, 1450 – 56, Florence, Italy

figure group — Samson Slaying a Philistine, figure group, sculpted by Giovanni Bologna, 1560 – 62, Florence, Italy

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

Renaissance music

Music underwent an extraordinary transformation from the mid-15th to the early 17th century

Piccolpasso's treatise on maiolica

The V&A not only holds the greatest collection of maiolica in the world, but also this unique treatise describing its manufacture.

The Temperance Basin and the art of the copy

Discover the origin of the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships trophy

The Almain Armourers’ Album

One of the Museum's great Elizabethan treasures, this book of armour designs charts some of the most spectacular armour ever made

Conservation of the Wolsey Angels

Find out how extensive conservation work has enlivened the appearance of the Wolsey Angels and ensured their future preservation

The Great Bed of Ware

Discover the bawdy history of one of the V&A's best-known objects

Invisible women: uncovering gendered histories

Discover hidden female histories in our collection

How was it made? Portrait miniatures

See how these tiny intricate paintings were made