Paintings
The paintings collection includes more than 2,000 paintings in oil, tempera, and fresco, from 15th century to the present day. The collection is largely European, with particular strength in 19th-century British art. Highlights include Renaissance portraits by Botticelli and Tintoretto, biblical and classical scenes by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Angelica Kauffman, important landscapes by John Constable and J. M. W. Turner, iconic paintings by Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Impressionist Edgar Degas, as well as contemporary artists including Kehinde Wiley.
Paintings have been part of the V&A's collections and displays since its founding. Collectors in the 19th century made large donations of paintings. Since then, the collection and its scope has grown significantly. Today our paintings connect with our collections of architecture, fashion, ceramics, silver and much more, and can be found on display in every part of the museum.
Features
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Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli
Discover how Botticelli's gazing lady ended up at the V&A
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Conservation of Pentecost by Sandro Botticelli
The challenges of preparing a 500 year old fragile masterpiece to go on display
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Preparing a Bollywood poster for stretching: ASMR
Step inside the Painting Conservation Studio to see this enormous hand-painted poster be prepared for display
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Rabindranath Tagore: Poet and Painter
Simple bold forms and a rhythmic quality
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Framing Botticelli
V&A Senior Conservator Zoe Allen explores a range of beautifully carved and gilded frames from the exhibition Botticelli Reimagined
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The ‘Dan Brown effect’: Venus-mania from the Olympians to the Expressionists
Having worked for so long on Botticelli Reimagined, could Mark Evans be experiencing Venusian fever?
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Botticelli’s influence
Terry Gilliam, ORLAN, Tomoko and David La Chapelle discuss the influence that Botticelli has had on their work
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A walk through Botticelli’s Florence
Mark Evans, curator of Botticelli Reimagined, explores where the artist was born, lived and died
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Botticelli and pulp fiction
Mark Evans, Curator of Botticelli Reimagined discusses the impact of The Birth of Venus on popular culture
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The conservation of Flowers in a Glass Vase by Jacob van Walscapelle (1667)
Find out how our conservation team have transformed this important and beautiful oil painting through a major treatment programme
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The South Court and Leighton Frescos
Tucked away in the V&A are two surviving masterpieces of Victorian mural painting
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An unusual bloom in the Forest of Sherwood
When eagle-eyed conservator, Nicola Costaras, noticed that a large oil painting depicting Sherwood Forest after rainfall was covered in 'frost', a series of investigations and conservation work was kick-started.
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Francis Williams – a portrait of a writer
Explore the portrait of scholar and writer Francis Williams
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Conserving an 18th-century portrait and waistcoat
Follow the conservation of two uniquely connected objects – a rare double acquisition for the museum
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The puzzle of portraits: Francis Williams and Vanley Burke
Explore two important portraits separated by three centuries
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Marie Antoinette conservation: revealing the controversial queen's portrait
See the work close-up
Collection highlights
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The Temptation in the Garden of Eden, oil painting, by Jan Brueghel the elder, about 1600, Antwerp, BelgiumV&A South Kensington -
Disappointed Love, oil painting, by Francis Danby, 1821, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Altarpiece of St George, by Master of the Centenar, first quarter of the 15th century, Valencia, SpainV&A South Kensington -
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Virgin and Child, oil painting, by Carlo Crivelli, about 1480, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Signboard for the Omega Workshops, painting, by Duncan Grant for Omega Workshops, 1913, EnglandV&A East Storehouse -
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Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinell, painting, painted by Sandro Botticelli, 1470 – 80, Florence, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Self-Portrait as a Young Man, oil painting, by Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto, about 1548, Venice, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Vanitas Still Life, oil painting, by N.L. Peschier, 1659, NetherlandsV&A South Kensington -
Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, oil painting, by Francois Boucher, 1758, Paris, FranceV&A South Kensington -
The Painter's Two Daughters, oil painting, by Thomas Gainsborough, about 1758V&A South Kensington -
A Sleeping Nymph Watched by a Shepherd, oil painting, by Angelica Kauffman, about 1780, London, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Portrait of Melissa Thompson, painting, by Kehinde Wiley, 2020V&A South Kensington -
Salisbury Cathedral from The Bishop`s Ground, oil painting, by John Constable, 1823, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Venice from the Giudecca, oil painting, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1840V&A South Kensington -
St Cecilia and the Angels, oil painting, by Paul Delaroche, 1836, Paris, FranceV&A South Kensington -
The Ballet Scene from Meyerbeer's Opera Robert Le Diable, oil painting, Edgar Degas, 1876, France. Museum no. CAI.19 -
The Day Dream, oil painting, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1880, EnglandV&A South Kensington
The Painter's Two Daughters, oil painting, by Thomas Gainsborough, about 1758. Museum no. F.9 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London