Renaissance

The Renaissance collections bring together masterpieces of northern and southern European art from the late 1400s to the early 1600s. Monumental sculptures, rich textiles and colourful ceramics show artists’ continued fascination with the art of the Roman world and the importance of the Christian church as patron.

Highlights include the greatest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture outside Italy, with pieces by Donatello, Andrea Briosco (‘il Riccio’) and Giambologna, as well as notebooks owned by Leonardo da Vinci. Richly-coloured stained glass from Northern Europe, rare carpets from Spain and a striking display of armour suggest the splendour and wealth of the period.

Search “Renaissance” in Explore the Collections

Features

Read

Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks

The V&A holds five notebooks owned by Leonardo da Vinci – a unique insight into one of the greatest minds of the Italian Renaissance

  1. Read

    Renaissance music

    Music underwent an extraordinary transformation from the mid-15th to the early 17th century
  2. Read

    Donatello – a master at work

    Discover how Donatello manipulated materials to create masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture
  3. Interact

    Piccolpasso's treatise on maiolica

    The V&A not only holds the greatest collection of maiolica in the world, but also this unique treatise describing its manufacture.
  4. Read

    Sir Paul Pindar's House

    An outstanding survival of a London timber-framed house built before the Great Fire of 1666
  5. Interact

    The art of the copy: the origin of the Wimbledon ladies trophy 

    Discover the origin of the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships trophy
  6. Read

    The Almain Armourers’ Album

    One of the Museum's great Elizabethan treasures, this book of armour designs charts some of the most spectacular armour ever made
  7. Watch

    Conservation of the Wolsey Angels

    Find out how extensive conservation work has enlivened the appearance of the Wolsey Angels and ensured their future preservation
  8. Read

    The Great Bed of Ware

    Discover the bawdy history of one of the V&A's best-known objects

  9. Listen

    Invisible women: uncovering gendered histories

    Discover hidden female histories in our collection

  10. Read

    Italian Renaissance pottery – 'beautiful women' plates

    'Belle donne' plates promoted an ideal of the perfect woman: beautiful, virtuous, and not infrequently, dead.
  11. Watch

    How was it made? Portrait miniatures

    See how these tiny intricate paintings were made
  12. Read

    Perugino, and his rediscovery by the Pre-Raphaelites

    Find out more about Perugino, one of the most successful artists of the Italian Renaissance
  13. Watch

    The hidden power of gemstones: meanings, myths, and magic

    Revealing the hidden meanings and magical attributes of gemstones
  14. Watch

    Unlocking a 17th-century strongbox: ASMR

    Peek into the past as we look inside a historic strongbox
  15. Read

    Donatello's 'David'

    Pre-dating Michelangelo's David, discover Donatello's marble and bronze sculptures of the Biblical hero
  16. Interact

    Donatello's Florence

    Discover 15th-century Florence, Italy, home to Renaissance master Donatello, with our interactive map
  17. Watch

    Shakespeare's First Folio

    Discover the secrets of a 400-year-old copy of Shakespeare's collected plays

Collection highlights

Show all
  1. manuscript
    Notebook (Codex Forster II) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1495 – 97, Milan, Italy. Museum no. MSL/1876/Forster/141/II, f. 91r.
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. pair of gauntlets
    Pair of gauntlets, made by Lucio Piccinino, about 1585, Milan, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. painting
    Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinell, painting, painted by Sandro Botticelli, 1470 – 80, Florence, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. hunting crossbow
    Hunting crossbow, about 1590, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  5. figure
    (Detail) The Dacre Dolphin, figure, 1507 – 25, Cumbria, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  6. parade shield
    Parade shield, made by Jorg Sigman, 1552, Augsburg, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  7. pair of gloves
    Pair of gloves, made by Sheldon Tapestry Workshops, 1590 – 1610, Warwickshire, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  8. full view
    Lantern, 1570 – 1600, Venice, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  9. pendant
    Pendant, late 16th century, Europe
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  10. mechanical globe clock
    Mechanical globe clock, made by Georg Roll and Johannes Reinhold, 1584, Augsburg, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  11. roundel
    October; The Labours of the Months, roundel, made by Luca della Robbia, 1450 – 56, Florence, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  12. figure group
    Samson Slaying a Philistine, figure group, sculpted by Giovanni Bologna, 1560 – 62, Florence, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display

Shop

V&A Books bring the Museum’s extraordinarily diverse collections to life

Visit the shop