- Timeline of objects displayed range from the very first glass pieces to contemporary, cutting edge furniture, and these objects come from all over the world
- The museum's 7-mile (11km) layout spreads over six levels and incorporates 100+ different galleries
- On March 31, 2012 the museum had a total of 2,233,293 items in its collections, out of which only 221,829 were suitable for long-term gallery display (the other items are referred to as "Reference Collections" and can be viewed in the museum's study rooms or by appointment) but only 28% (only 60,039 objects!) were on actual display. Through the museum's participation in loans and traveling exhibitions, it had 5,000 objects on display around the world between April 2011 and March 2012.
- It was originally founded in 1852 as the Museum of Manufacturers to inspire design students, and was renamed by Queen Victoria in 1899 in memory of her husband Prince Albert.
- The main focus of the museum remains design and decorative arts
On my first walking day in London (see my entry on November 26) I walked by the museum and noticed that the building itself was not as massive as the Vatican (which is my measure for real good planning and possibly some anti-anxiety measures as the galleries never seem to end, and my brain begins to give serious stress signals after one tenth of the displays) so I decided to proceed with my plan of "initial exploration" with the intent of a follow-up visit afterwards once I know the lay-of-the-land.
Once I made the plan, even the especially spooky and cold morning with even the cobwebs visibly frozen on every corner was not going to stop me (I find that cold or rainy days are particularly good times to head to the museums, only if you can get yourself out of the house or the hotel):
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| Another pub... and fresh pint glasses at 11am in the morning... |
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| Victoria & Albert Museum (aka V&A) |
The museum has a beautiful entrance decorated by an amazing glass piece (by Dale Chihuly, designed and made in Seattle, specifically for V&A's grand entrance. The piece consists of around 2000 pieces which shipped separately and reassembled in the Museum) and of course a large Christmas tree:
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| V&A Museum Entrance with Dale Chihuly's beautiful glass piece |
Once you are able to move your attention away from the ceiling, here is what you see to your right:
Now you might have an idea on what we are about to explore...
[disclaimer: all the information below is what I learned at V&A during my visit. I am not an expert nor a scholar in art, history, or anthropology, nor claim to be. I am a mere wonderer who is a student of all the above]
I believe one needs a guide and/or a knowledgable curator to explore and appreciate large museums (I think curators are invaluable in all sizes of museums, but in big museums one gets lost in trying to see it all, and needs guidance on how to navigate around and what to focus on) so I had looked up on the website and planned to attend the Middle Ages tour in the afternoon (free of charge). But having about an hour to explore on my own I -slowly- headed to the Asian collections (when in doubt choose something you'd enjoy seeing) which were on the street level, and would give me an idea of the floor plans as one can see other galleries through the architecture of the building.
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| Beautiful Chinese lacquer teacups |
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| Beautiful Chinese Porcelain dolls |
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| Holders for place cards at Chinese banquets |
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| Beautiful model of a Chinese ship made of ivory, circa 1800 |
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| Did I say I like looking at cups and saucers? |
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| Korean Onggi jars used for pickling vegetables. Formed of rough clay they are glazed and fired for many days, they are robust enough to withstand the winter temperatures. |
I thought I had an idea about the size of this museum, clearly I was wrong... All the items in this gallery are plaster casts, but still... it feels like time travel around the world... The column on the right above is Tarajan's column in Rome, originally carved in marble and erected in the Forum A.D. 113. At the time it was topped by a colossal bronze statue of Trajan, and it was replaced by the present bronze statue of Saint Peter at the end of the 16th century.
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| Cast plaster replica of the door at Santiago de Compostela in Spain |
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| Beautifully decorated vases |
Now we are back to the lobby to explore the medieval and renaissance galleries in one hour...
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| Ornately decorated medieval piece |
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| This belonged to a Pope and had more gold thread in its heyday |
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| Incredible detail on a wall carpet |
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| Ceiling tiles from a church depicting the months of the year |
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| Donatello's doctor Giovanni Cellini (bust in the back) Donatello gave him the bronze roundel of the virgin and child in 1456 as a payment Cellini noted that the back of this roundel was used to make glass replicas, which can be seen in the foreground which makes this a very unique object |
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| V&A Museum Courtyard |
Now, I am in my element in a beautiful cafe, and the toughest thing is to make a decision:
Scones or lambshank? Or roasted vegetables? Or a pie?
Eventually I decided on a tomato soup with brown bread, knowing I would have to come back for those scones and found a seat in the beautifully decorated dining room. I am very used to bare minimums cafeteria style museum cafes but this was an unexpected treat with so much art and decorations in every corner... If I lived closeby, I'd probably come here couple times a month (soup needed a bit more seasoning but all the foods looked freshly prepared and appetizing, another feature I am not used to. Later I learned that couple years ago most of the major museums changed their operator and Benugo has been awarded a contract - bravo!!!)
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| This is what I call eating in a museum... |
After lunch and some cranial rest, I decided to find my way towards the glass gallery (which happens to be another passion of mine). But of course on the way, I stopped at at least 10 galleries, quickly browsing a number of items but keeping my eye on the target. If you look at everything you may never make it to the upper levels here...
Here is something many people don't know:
And now...
finally I am here, the Glass Gallery!
Clearly, the gallery is massive but organized into meaningful sections so I can focus on one display at a time - trying not to wonder how they clean these objects...
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| Ale glasses for strong ale 17th to mid 19th century, somewhat different than what we use today |
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| Tumblers & rummers (mid 19th century) |
Umm... I didn't do anything and I don't know why these porcelain cups are here in the glass gallery... But they are pretty!
This is a case from the 18th and 19th centuries, when glassworkers made presents -sometimes called "friggers" for their families in their spare time. These are considered as "folk art" and a by-roduct of the glass-makers' love of whimsy. Apart from the typical objects, certain types were made for specific social and domestic purposes. Some items were used during ceremonial processions. Rolling pins (see below) and scent bottles, often inscribed, were considered suitable as love tokens.
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| Rolling pins possibly given as love tokens. The bottom one has an inscription that reads: "Think of me when far at sea" |
The objects mentioned above are different than the brightly colored and highly impractical pieces which were regularly made in commercial quantities by many glasshouses for sale. They were produced by highly specialized tradesmen with certain stylistic influences where the presents follow no style and are more whimsical intended to display their technical proficiency.
Now let's take a look at some pieces that were made specifically for artistic purposes:
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| "Pezzato" (Patchwork) vase designed by Fulvio Bianconi, Venice 1950 |
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| Cutest things I've seen today. So much so that I forgot to take notes on whose work it was :-( |
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| Another interesting vase |
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| This is very pretty! David Reekie's A Captive Audience (Norwich, Britain, 2000) which refers to cloning-but there is one individual in the back about to make a getaway |
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| Brick Man by Max Jacquard (Kent, Britain, 2002) |
This has to be the most beautiful and striking object I've seen today, and maybe in the past year. According to Jacquard, this piece "attempts to describe the sense of isolation, self-protection and perhaps a certain brittle vulnerability felt by the artistic ego. This body form represents a kind of protective shell. That it is made of glass is an irony that emphasizes the futility of the exercise. "
With that thought in mind and perfectly satisfied with my tour of the glass gallery, I was ready for tea and some scones. The fact that the teapot was metal was totally disappointing (come on! after so many glass and porcelain objects?) but my lapsong-souchong was perfectly smoky and the scones were fresh and well made so I was a very happy museum discoverer.
Sipping good loose tea (lapsang souchong in my case) with a fresh scone is a unique joy on its own, but when paired wonderful art in every corner, it gets even better... One wants to freeze the time and savor (thank God for photography!)
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| Yes, those are giant meringues. There were many tables who had one... and many others who kept pointing to them and asking about it! |
If the V&A is not large enough for you, next door is the Natural History Museum. It looks like one can spend a week only in this part of town!
During nice weather you can always go out for some fresh air, and find many cafes and restaurants to your taste.
I am definitely done and very satisfied for today, even anxious to see more museums, which means my "exploratory tour" comes to an end with a sense of accomplishment! More to come!
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