Highlights from the Gilbert Collection
Take a closer look at the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection
Gilbert Collection
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection celebrates some of the most beautiful objects ever made, many in precious materials, and often on a small scale. It is famous for European and British masterpieces including gold and silver, gold boxes, painted enamels and mosaics.
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Their passion for craftsmanship and beauty prompted Sir Arthur Gilbert (1913 – 2001) and his first wife Rosalinde (1913 – 1995) to acquire the very best objects in their collecting areas. Always intended for the public, the V&A has been the home of this collection since 2008.
Collection highlights
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Beaker, 1600 – 25, Europe -
Snuffbox, about 1750, Germany -
Micromosaic, made by Giovanni Morelli, 1820, Rome, Italy -
The Capitoline Doves, plaque, by Giacomo Raffaelli, 1801, Rome, Italy -
Miniature, made by Henry Bone, 1825, England -
(Detail) Ewer, made by Paul de Lamerie, 1742 – 3, London, England -
Snuffbox, designed by Jean Guillaume Krüger, 1775 – 80, Berlin, Germany -
Tiara, made by Real Laboratorio and Opificio, about 1808, Naples, Italy -
Cabinet, 17th century, northern Europe -
Cup, made by Samuel Kassborer and Hans Kässborer, about 1600, Ulm, Germany -
Miniature, made by Johann Heinrich Hurter, 1781, England -
Snuffbox, made by Moulinie and Bautte & Moynier, 1804 – 9, Geneva, Switzerland -
Cup, 1480 – 90, Venice, Italy -
Snuffbox, about 1765, Berlin, Germany -
Table, 1861 – 90, Rome, Italy -
Centrepiece, made by Asprey plc, 1985, London, England -
Cup, Georg Rühl, 1598 – 1602, Nuremberg, Germany
Features
Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert and their collection
Meant ‘for everyone’, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection comprises gold and silver, enamel miniatures, gold boxes and mosaics
Micromosaics
Explore these incredible works of art and craft, skill and patience, introducing the history of the form, and some of its greatest moments
What is a micromosaic?
What are micromosaics and where did they come from?
How was it made? Micromosaics
Watch the astonishingly intricate recreation of a historic micromosaic
Gold boxes
Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert delighted in the dazzling details of these boxes, which tell stories on an astonishingly small scale using precious and exotic materials
Portrait miniatures painted in enamel
The Gilbert Collection of enamel portrait miniatures represent some of the most important artists working in the medium
Swan centrepiece by Asprey
This life-size sterling silver swan is the star of the Gilbert Collection
Creating a visual feast
Feast your eyes on Silvia Weidenbach's exuberant jewellery, created in response to the equally dazzling Gilbert Collection
Automata boxes
Automata are objects that have moving parts driven by clockwork mechanisms that can also play music
Visual Feast by Silvia Weidenbach
Jewellery designer and Gilbert Collection artist in residence Silvia Weidenbach talks about creating a Visual Feast for the V&A
Pietre dure: The tomb of Cecilia Metella
How was it made? Pietre Dure
Watch the highly skilled and intricate process of creating a pietre dure panel
The gold ewer
Read about the restitution of a 4,250-year-old Anatolian gold ewer
Header image: Background image: Hunting cup with sleeping dog, 1480 – 90, Venice. Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.544-2008. © The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London