The Victoria and Albert Museum

May 14, 2013

 Another drizzly day, another museum.  Today we chose the Victoria and Albert Museum to explore. 

We took the tube to South Kensington and entered the museum through the tunnel entrance, and strolled through beautiful sculptures by medieval masters.

Then we went directly to the Grand Entrance in the front of the building because I wanted to see the Dale Chihuly chandelier.  And, there it was in all of its glassy glory.  But, I must say, I was hoping for more.  The colors are rather muted and so this is not my favorite Chihuly work. So, on the the rest of the museum.

The V&A is a HUGE museum!  There is so much to see, who knows where

to start?  I chose the rooms about Medieval times and the Renaissance.  

Of course the displays started out with many centuries of religious icons, Madonna and Child renditions, triptychs, reliquaries, and pope's robes.  The beautiful Hereford Screen, 35 feet by 35 feet, was there in all of it's hugeness, and a small casket purported to contain remains of

Thomas a Becket too.  From the religious items we moved on to some remarkably well-preserved tapestries, one of the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, casket effigies of King Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitane, a beautiful little brass boat with the hull made of seashell, lots of big, heavy carved furniture, a golden globe, suits of armour, cast busts of medieval dignitaries, one of those big ceramic heating stoves, and even a whole white and gilt ballroom.   

WHEW!  I was exhausted and we had not even finished one floor.  So we decided to go home and rest and return another day.