Medieval

The Medieval collections tell the colourful story of early European art and culture from the decline of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance (300 – about 1500). The collection is outstanding in its range and depth, bringing together treasures of sacred and secular art from around Europe.

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Highlights of the collection include an early 12th-century ewer in the form of a griffin from Germany, and an equally rare surviving English iron helmet, or sallet, that may have seen action in the Wars of the Roses (1455 – 1485).

Explore the Collections

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Introducing the Medieval collection

Take a closer look at some of the incredible medieval objects you can encounter on your visit to the V&A

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The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries

Four large and beautifully designed tapestries depicting the 15th century hunt of boars, bears, swans, otters, deer and falconry

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The War of Troy tapestry

Explore one of the most magnificent examples of medieval tapestry in existence

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The Christmas story in opus anglicanum

Christmas imagery appears throughout medieval art and particularly on richly-worked and intricate English medieval embroidered textiles, known as opus anglicanum

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Medieval mythologies

Peering out from the stitched designs of English medieval embroideries are lifelike animals, alongside fantastical creatures drawn from mythology and the imagination.