History of the Cast Courts
Discover the fascinating story behind a unique collection housed in one of the most popular spaces of the Museum
Cast collection
Opened in 1873, the Cast Courts display copies of some of the world's most significant works of art reproduced in plaster, electrotype, photography, and digital media. The cast collection is famous for including reproductions of Michelangelo's David, Trajan's Column, and Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, amongst many others.
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The cast collection is a dramatic expression of Victorian ambition, and the strongest embodiment of the Museum's founding mission as a school of art education for both practitioners and the public. At a time when travel was difficult, the Courts brought copies of art and architecture from around the globe together under one roof, offering an encyclopaedia of international decorative styles. Collecting reproductions reached the height of popularity in the mid to late 19th century, and today new methods of digital replication encourage ongoing explorations into copying in the 21st century.
Collection highlights
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(Detail) Tomb of St Peter Martyr, plaster cast, by Edoardo Pierotti, 1869, Milan, Italy -
(Detail) Trajan's column, plaster cast, by Monsieur Oudry, about 1864, Paris, France -
(Detail) Window frame, plaster cast, by Pietro Pierotti, about 1867, Milan, Italy -
(Detail) Copy of a tabernacle, plaster cast, about 1876, Belgium -
The Nymph of Fontainebleau, plaster cast, by Monsieur Desachy, about 1864, Paris, France -
(Detail) The Portico de la Gloria, plaster cast, by Domenico Brucciani, 1866, Santiago de Compostela, Spain -
Battle scene, plaster cast, sculpted by Gian Cristoforo Romano, made by Edoardo Pierotti, 1491 – 1497 (sculpted), about 1884 (cast), Italy. Museum no. REPRO.1884-669. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Copy of a capital, plaster cast, made by Philibert De L'Orme and Musee des Arts Decoratifs, 1884, Paris, France -
(Detail) Copy of a portal, plaster cast, by Jean Pouzadoux, about 1892, England -
(Detail) Effigy of Berengaria of Navarre, plaster cast, 1852 – 54, England -
(Detail) Copy of a doorway, plaster cast, about 1882, Norway -
Copy of a tympanum, plaster cast, about 1852 – 54, England -
Copy of a Monument to Prince-Bishop Rudolph von Scherenberg, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, plaster cast, by Josef Semmelmayr, about 1906, Würzburg, Germany -
David, plaster cast, by Clemente Papi, about 1856, Florence, Italy
Features
The story of Michelangelo's David
Meet David, one of the most famous objects in the history of art
Trajan's Column
The magnificent plaster cast of Trajan's Column is one of the stars of the cast collection. Find out why
The Temperance Basin and the art of the copy
Discover the origin of the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships trophy
Conservation of the Pórtico de la Gloria cast
Watch the conservation of a monumental cast, a copy of a 12th-century Spanish cathedral portico
Inside Voices by Liam Byrne
Viola da gamba player Liam Byrne performs Baroque music from inside the magnificent cast of Trajan's Column
The Ethics Of Dust: Trajan's Column by Jorge Otero-Pailos
New York-based artist Jorge Otero-Pailos's installation interacted with the largest object in the Museum
Casting by Yiyun Kang
Watch Yiyun Kang reinterpreting the V&A's historic Cast Courts using digital projection mapping
How was it made? Plaster cast
Discover the fascinating process of plaster casting
Header image: Battle scene, plaster cast, sculpted by Gian Cristoforo Romano, made by Edoardo Pierotti, 1491 – 1497 (sculpted), about 1884 (cast), Italy. Museum no. REPRO.1884-669. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London