Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600-1800

The V&A has one of the world's greatest collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European decorative art. 80 masterpieces from these magnificent collections, acquired and used by rulers of power, wealth and taste, provide the focus of this book. Each is contextualized in sections that highlight an important aspect of European courtly life: the importance of war; the role of religion; the peaceful arts of the domestic interior and the magnificence of personal adornment. Superb new photography reveals a broad range of objects, including painting and sculpture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and furniture, textiles and dress, prints and drawings.