There were still men on ladders in the V&A museum in South Kensington, London, this morning, as the public were allowed into the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries for the first time. They are still putting the finishing touches to one of the most important medieval collections on display in the country, perhaps in Europe.
The reviews have been exceptional - both the Times and the Telegraph have lauded the galleries with 5* ratings. I visited for an hour and half or so (stolen from writing time) this morning. It was enough to get a flavour of the collection there; I will be back tomorrow for a more in-depth viewing.
First impressions are that the press hype is justified. The Galleries are not just enormous and magnificently stocked, they are also stunningly beautiful. The bulk of the pieces I saw today are Italian C15th/C16th, and there is a clear story to be read among the collection of the relationship between the High Middle Ages and the art and culture of late Latin antiquity.
Individual highlights seen today:
- a stunning silver reliquary of the martyrdom of St Sebastian, by Hans Holbein the Elder, from 1497. A glass panel on the back shows the relic intact within, wrapped in silk. Likely to be shafts of the arrows that did for poor old Seb.
- a processional cross in gold and silver from around 1350, northern Italy.
- a tiny Leonardo da Vinci notebook, with an interactive flick-through terminal next to it.
- a mock 14th-century knightly brass in the floor for kids to take rubbings from
These are just a few of the pieces that caught my eye. I also had a lovely conversation with a lady who lectures in history of art and illuminated manuscripts in the Dorset area. We swapped opinions on the strange beasties of medieval marginalia, and their place in the medieval mind.
Utterly mesmerising. I cannot recommend these galleries highly enough. I will Twitpic a few snaps taken on my Blackberry, and put some better pics up tomorrow.
