Victoria and Albert Museum 2016

I love this museum. Somehow I never thought I would be that interested in fashion and design, as that is often the description given for the contents of the museum. However, the way the pieces of art are presented is appealing. Be prepared for loads of sculptures on the street level floor. The amazing thing is they are presented out in the open and are scattered throughout the rooms. You can get a close up view. I guess they trust that you won't touch them!

I headed straight for the area of Britain from the 1500s through the 1700s. It features the decorative arts in Great Britain and how they are a reflection of society back then. I will show you a few photos of pieces that caught my eye.

Supposedly a virginal commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I and played by her.

An earl's wine cooler with ice from 1719-20. Enormous! I wonder how many bottles fit in there ?

A "fuddling cup" from ca. 1630-40. Basically 3 connected cups to be filled with alcohol. The cups are joined inside by holes so you end up drinking from one cup but the contents of 3 cups is drunk by the person. It is a practical joke! BTW back then "befuddled"=drunk.

A painting based on Holbein's painting of Sir Thomas More, his family and friends. This artist added a few more generations of the More family to the painting. By Rowland Lockey of London.

A chair that has been "japanned" or has Asian features. The Orient was all the rage. It has the exotic look, though made locally. Interesting that it shows Chinese influences despite the technique referring to Japan.

A silk gown made in east London, Spitalfields area - known for its silk weaving industry.  This was made ca. 1744 and adjusted in 1780.

Finally the Royal oak tree at Boscobel House shown in a plaque honoring Charles II after he regained the throne (after the battle of Worcester that he lost). Charles II went into hiding and ended up staying 1 day up in this tree with a supporter to elude the authorities after he lost that battle of Worcester.

His triumphant return to power as king was celebrated in this piece of art. Apparently you can go visit the Boscobel House and see a descendant of the original tree on the grounds.

During this span of 1500s-1700s the Brits and their arts were influenced by foreign countries. Between 1600-1710 prints from the continent influenced designs on British ceramics and embroidery.  The Indies and Asia were trading partners with Britain. The Brits picked up on design ideas from them (ie. the Japanned furniture, designs on ceramics). Foreign potters and glass makers from the continent came to Britain and imitated the designs of expensive imports on their ceramics. They could sell these ceramics cheaper than importing ceramics. Furniture became more functional and decorative at the same time. Upholstery was an art. The noble families were always trying to make the entertaining rooms in their houses the fanciest rooms of their estate. They were very aware of the latest fashions.

An odd piece in this British section is the "bed of Ware". It was very big for beds those days (big enough for 4 small couples!). It was built around 1590 and was intended as a tourist attraction at an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire - outside of London. 

Another famous piece in the museum is the Drake jewel, given to Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I in thanks for his success fighting against the Spanish Armada. One part of it is a portrait of the Queen with a Phoenix below her. Another part has 2 cameo silhouettes (side view) of the Queen and an African gentleman.  I do not know much about this jewel, but it is famous.

Upstairs in the museum the section on Britain continues from the 1700s onwards. Next time I will take a look there.

If you get hungry and want to sit down, there are 2 nice cafes (in the garden and indoors) with tasty looking food, cakes and teas.

This is one of many free museums in London. It is big. I highly recommend going over several days.