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Introducing the Medieval collection
Take a closer look at some of the incredible medieval objects you can encounter on your visit to the V&A
Medieval
The Medieval collections tell the colourful story of early European art and culture from the decline of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance (300 – about 1500). The collection is outstanding in its range and depth, bringing together treasures of sacred and secular art from around Europe.
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Highlights of the collection include an early 12th-century ewer in the form of a griffin from Germany, and an equally rare surviving English iron helmet, or sallet, that may have seen action in the Wars of the Roses (1455 – 1485).
Collection highlights
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Sallet, 1460 – 90, England -
October, roundel, about 1480, Norwich, England -
The Gloucester Candlestick, 1107 – 1113, England -
Griffin Ewer, about 1120, Germany -
The Symmachi Panel, diptych leaf, late 4th or early 5th century, Rome, Italy -
Altarpiece with 45 Scenes of the Apocalypse, made by Master Bertram, about 1400, Hamburg, Germany -
Virgin and Child, oil painting, by Carlo Crivelli, about 1480, Italy -
The Dead Christ (on the Cross), crucifix, about 1250, Tuscany, Italy -
The Becket Casket, about 1180 – 1190, Limoges, France
Features
The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries
Four large and beautifully designed tapestries depicting the 15th century hunt of boars, bears, swans, otters, deer and falconry
The War of Troy tapestry
Explore one of the most magnificent examples of medieval tapestry in existence
The Christmas story in opus anglicanum
Christmas imagery appears throughout medieval art and particularly on richly-worked and intricate English medieval embroidered textiles, known as opus anglicanum
Medieval mythologies
Peering out from the stitched designs of English medieval embroideries are lifelike animals, alongside fantastical creatures drawn from mythology and the imagination.
Introducing Opus Anglicanum
Find out more about this stunning exhibition of English medieval embroidery – the first in over half a century
The Tree of Jesse Cope
Explore the richly-worked imagery and intricate design of the Tree of Jesse Cope
The Steeple Aston Cope
Discover how the fabric of this English medieval embroidery has been altered, ensuring its survival over centuries
The Butler-Bowdon Cope
Take a closer look at the elaborate iconography of the Butler-Bowdon Cope
The Syon Cope
Explore the beautiful imagery of the Syon Cope, embroidered in coloured silk and silver threads
Turning the pages of an illuminated manuscript
Watch as we open up a medieval choirbook
How was it made? Champlevé enamelling
See how this medieval technique was carried out
