V&A Museum

The V&A Museum, more formally known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, is the world’s largest museum of art and design. It is the home for over 2.27 million objects, that date from the 13th century BC to the present day. The museum was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1857, with the intention of being a “Monument of discerning Liberality and a Source of Refinement and Progress.” It was a museum created to educate, edify and enlighten the public in the arts, and continues to be a source of cultural inspiration to the present day. The V&A is split into four main areas - Decorative Art & Sculpture; Performance, Furniture, Textiles & Fashion; Art, Architecture, Photography & Design; and Asia including the Chinese, Far Eastern and Islamic world. The V&A is also the home of the National Art Library, containing over 750,000 books, including antique and rare books, manuscripts, letters and archives. Significantly, the V&A library houses the 'Codex Forster' collection, which was one of Leonardo da Vinci’s personal note books, dating back to the 1490. The library also houses manuscripts by Charles Dickens and original works by Beatrix Potter. Two of the most dramatic galleries are the 'Cast Courts' in the museum’s sculpture wing. These galleries contains hundreds of plaster sculptures, friezes and tombs including a full size replica of ‘Trajan’s Column’ and Michelangelo’s famous masterpiece ‘David.’ The fashion costume collection is the most comprehensive in Britain, with over 14,000 outfits dating from 1600 to the present day. The Jewellery Gallery contains over 6,000 significant pieces, with works dating back to Ancient Egypt and contemporary pieces such as Beyonce’s ‘Papillion’ butterfly ring by London jeweller Glenn Spiro.