Gilbert Collection

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection celebrates some of the most beautiful objects ever made, many in precious materials, and often on a small scale. It is famous for European and British masterpieces including gold and silver, gold boxes, painted enamels and mosaics. 
Their passion for craftsmanship and beauty prompted Sir Arthur Gilbert (1913 – 2001) and his first wife Rosalinde (1913 – 1995) to acquire the very best objects in their collecting areas. Always intended for the public, the V&A has been the home of this collection since 2008. 

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Highlights from the Gilbert Collection

Take a closer look at the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection

  1. Read

    Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert and their collection

    Meant ‘for everyone’, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection comprises gold and silver, enamel miniatures, gold boxes and mosaics
  2. Read

    An A – Z of gemstones

    Discover dazzling objects encrusted with gems – from amethyst to Whitby jet
  3. Watch

    Shipwrecked treasure and ancient jewellery

    Mudlarked, shipwrecked, buried treasure – discover treasures lost and found
  4. Interact

    Micromosaics

    Explore these incredible works of art and craft, skill and patience, introducing the history of the form, and some of its greatest moments
  5. Read

    Gold boxes

    Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert delighted in the dazzling details of these boxes, which tell stories on an astonishingly small scale using precious and exotic materials
  6. Watch

    What is a micromosaic?

    What are micromosaics and where did they come from?

  7. Watch

    How was it made? Micromosaics

    Watch the astonishingly intricate recreation of a historic micromosaic
  8. Read

    Portrait miniatures painted in enamel

    The Gilbert Collection of enamel portrait miniatures represent some of the most important artists working in the medium
  9. Watch

    Swan centrepiece by Asprey

    This life-size sterling silver swan is the star of the Gilbert Collection
  10. Read

    Creating a visual feast

    Feast your eyes on Silvia Weidenbach's exuberant jewellery, created in response to the equally dazzling Gilbert Collection
  11. Watch

    Automata boxes

    Automata are objects that have moving parts driven by clockwork mechanisms that can also play music
  12. Watch

    Visual Feast by Silvia Weidenbach

    Jewellery designer and Gilbert Collection artist in residence Silvia Weidenbach talks about creating a Visual Feast for the V&A
  13. Interact

    Pietre dure: The tomb of Cecilia Metella
  14. Watch

    How was it made? Pietre Dure

    Watch the highly skilled and intricate process of creating a pietre dure panel
  15. Read

    The gold ewer

    Read about the restitution of a 4,250-year-old Anatolian gold ewer

Collection highlights

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  1. beaker
    Beaker, 1600 – 25, Europe
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  2. snuffbox
    Snuffbox, about 1750, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  3. micromosaic
    Micromosaic, made by Giovanni Morelli, 1820, Rome, Italy
    Not on display
  4. plaque
    The Capitoline Doves, plaque, by Giacomo Raffaelli, 1801, Rome, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  5. miniature
    Miniature, made by Henry Bone, 1825, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  6. ewer
    (Detail) Ewer, made by Paul de Lamerie, 1742 – 3, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  7. snuffbox
    Snuffbox, designed by Jean Guillaume Krüger, 1775 – 80, Berlin, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  8. tiara
    Tiara, made by Real Laboratorio and Opificio, about 1808, Naples, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  9. cabinet
    Cabinet, 17th century, northern Europe
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  10. cup
    Cup, made by Samuel Kassborer and Hans Kässborer, about 1600, Ulm, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  11. miniature
    Miniature, made by Johann Heinrich Hurter, 1781, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  12. snuffbox
    Snuffbox, made by Moulinie and Bautte & Moynier, 1804 – 9, Geneva, Switzerland
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  13. cup
    Cup, 1480 – 90, Venice, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  14. snuffbox
    Snuffbox, about 1765, Berlin, Germany
  15. table
    Table, 1861 – 90, Rome, Italy
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  16. centrepiece
    Centrepiece, made by Asprey plc, 1985, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  17. cup
    Cup, by Georg Rühl, 1598 – 1602, Nuremberg, Germany. Museum no. LOAN:GILBERT.60:1,2-2008.
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment

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Header image:
Background image: Hunting cup with sleeping dog, 1480 – 90, Venice. Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.544-2008. © The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London