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Here are our most searched-for objects and themes

  1. brooch
    Brooch, designed by Barbara Paganin, 2011, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. hair ornament
    Hair ornament, designed by Philippe Wolfers, 1905 – 7, Belgium
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. necklace
    Necklace, designed by Santhi Wongchan, made by Niphon Yodkranpan, 2003, Bangkok, Thailand
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. eye miniature
    Eye miniature, early 19th century, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  5. spray ornament
    Spray ornament, about 1850, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  6. collar
    The Shannongrove Gorget, collar, 800 BC – 700 BC, Ireland
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  1. waistcoat
    (Back) Waistcoat, 1620 – 25, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  2. evening dress
    (Detail) The Flowers of the Fields of France, evening dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, 1957, London, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  3. armchair
    Armchair, about 1725 – 35, France
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  4. hanging
    (Detail) Hanging, about 1700, Gujarat, India
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  5. child's shoe
    Child's shoe, about 1873, Shache, China
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  6. evening outfit
    Evening outfit, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, made by Lesage, 1967, Paris, France
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  7. cope
    (Detail) The Butler Bowdon Cope, 1330 – 45, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  8. pair of shoes
    Pair of shoes, unknown, 1730 – 40, Britain
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  9. evening ensemble
    (Detail) Pérou evening ensemble, designed by Christian Dior, by Bodin Brossin, 1954, Paris, France
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  10. jacket
    (Detail) Jacket, 1915, Jinan, China
    View by appointment
  11. portrait
    Portrait of Charles I, by Wenceslaus Hollar, 1625 – 50, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  12. embroidered casket
    Embroidered casket, made by Martha Edlin, 1671, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  1. throne chair
    Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, throne chair, made by Hafiz Muhammad Multani, 1805 – 10, Lahore
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. cassone chest
    Cassone chest, about 1488, Mantua, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. screen
    Screen, designed by Eileen Gray, 1923, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. chair
    Materialized Sketch, 3D-printed chair, designed by Front Design, printed by Alphaform, 2005, Stockholm, Sweden
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  5. cabinet
    The Yatman Cabinet, designed by William Burges, painted by Edward John Poynter, made by Harland and Fisher, 1858, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  6. storage unit
    ESU 421-C, storage unit, designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Furniture Co., 1949 – 50, US
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  7. console table
    Chiswick table, console table, designed by William Kent, made by John Boson, 1727 – 32, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  8. bed
    The Great Bed of Ware, designed by Hans Vredeman de Vries, 1590 – 1600, Ware, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  9. chair
    Garden Egg Chair, designed by Peter Ghyczy, manufactured by Elastogran GmbH, 1968, Lemförde, Germany
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  10. medal cabinet
    Medal cabinet, designed by Charles Percier, made by Martin Guillaume Biennais, about 1810, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  11. bell cittern
    (Back) Bell cittern, by Joachim Thielke, about 1700, Hamburg, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  1. oil painting
    The Temptation in the Garden of Eden, oil painting, by Jan Brueghel the elder, about 1600, Antwerp, Belgium
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. oil painting
    Disappointed Love, oil painting, by Francis Danby, 1821, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. altarpiece
    Altarpiece of St George, by Master of the Centenar, first quarter of the 15th century, Valencia, Spain
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. oil painting
    Virgin and Child, oil painting, by Carlo Crivelli, about 1480, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  5. painting
    Signboard for the Omega Workshops, painting, by Duncan Grant for Omega Workshops, 1913, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    Not on display
  6. painting
    Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinell, painting, painted by Sandro Botticelli, 1470 – 80, Florence, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  7. oil painting
    Self-Portrait as a Young Man, oil painting, by Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto, about 1548, Venice, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  8. oil painting
    Vanitas Still Life, oil painting, by N.L. Peschier, 1659, Netherlands
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  9. oil painting
    Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, oil painting, by Francois Boucher, 1758, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  10. oil painting
    The Painter's Two Daughters, oil painting, by Thomas Gainsborough, about 1758
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  11. oil painting
    A Sleeping Nymph Watched by a Shepherd, oil painting, by Angelica Kauffman, about 1780, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  12. portrait of Melissa Thompson
    Portrait of Melissa Thompson, painting, by Kehinde Wiley, 2020
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  13. oil painting
    Salisbury Cathedral from The Bishop`s Ground, oil painting, by John Constable, 1823, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  14. oil painting
    Venice from the Giudecca, oil painting, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1840
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  15. oil painting
    St Cecilia and the Angels, oil painting, by Paul Delaroche, 1836, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  1. Black woman standing on a pebble beach, holding a large pink shell to her ear. She wears a green floor-length dress
    'Self Evident', C-type print, by Ingrid Pollard, 1995, printed 2013, Brighton, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  2. Man with child on his back, holding a pink dog lead, with a white and brown dog. Another child holds onto the dog.
    'The Garden II', chromogenic print, by Siân Davey, 2021
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  3. Salted paper print of lace; strong brown colour. Botanical and floral patterns including flowers and plants.
    Lace, salted paper print, by William Henry Fox Talbot, early 1840s, Britain
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  4. Two soldiers in black and white uniform, in a field. One is smoking and eating from a small tub
    'The Break', Nermine Hammam, inkjet print, 2011
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  5. Artist is topless and turns away from the camera
    'Disconnected', inkjet print, by Marvel Harris, 2018, the Netherlands
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  6. Portrait of woman/girl side-on. She has wavy hair and has a neutral expression.
    'The Angel at the Tomb', photograph, by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1870, Isle of Wight, England
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  7. photograph of inside the Raphael gallery, with the Cartoons on easels before being hung
    'View of the Raphael Cartoons Galleries at the South Kensington Museum', albumen print, by Isabel Agnes Cowper, about 1873
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  8. Woman stood leaning on a big camera, with the flash going off
    'Lily Cole and Giant Camera', inkjet print, by Tim Walker, 2004. Museum no. E.1140-2008
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  9. Three teenage boys smoking in the street, wearing blazers and ties
    'Boys smoking, Portland Road, April 15 1956', gelatin silver print, by Roger Mayne, 1956, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  10. Pink flower, darker in the middle and lighter towards the edge of the petals
    'Tree Peony' from Some Japanese Flowers Vol. I, collotype with lithographic overprinting in colour, by Kazumasa Ogawa, 1894, Japan
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  11. Black and white photograph of a tree which has fallen onto a rock face
    'Columbia and Western #3', from the series 'Westward, the Course of Empire', by Mark Ruwedel, 1999
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  12. Woman with brown hair and red lipstick, fixing her earring to her ear
    'The Earring', photograph, by Madame Yevonde, about 1936, UK
  1. portrait miniature
    Self-portrait of Simon Bening, aged 75, portrait miniature, by Simon Bening, 1558, Flanders, Austria
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. portrait miniature
    Catherine de Medici, portrait miniature, by François Clouet, about 1555, France
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  3. miniature Portrait
    Portrait of Marco Ricci, portrait miniature, by Rosalba Carriera, about 1724, Venice, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. portrait miniature
    Self-portrait, portrait miniature, by John Smart, 1797, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  5. portrait miniature
    Unknown boy, perhaps Sir Frederick Augustus D'Este, portrait miniature, by Richard Cosway (RA), 1799, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  6. portrait miniature
    Self portrait, portrait miniature, by Anne Mee, about 1795, Britain
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  7. portrait miniature
    Self portrait, portrait miniature, by Christina Robertson, about 1822, Scotland
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  8. portrait miniature
    Anne of Cleves, portrait miniature, by Hans Holbein, 1539, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  9. portrait miniature
    Unknown woman, formerly called Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset, portrait miniature, by Isaac Oliver, 1596 – 1600, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  10. portrait miniature
    An Unknown Man, called Sir Robert Henley, portrait miniature, by Samuel Cooper, 1659, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  11. portrait miniature
    A Woman, presumed to be a self-portrait of Susannah-Penelope Rosse, portrait miniature, by Susannah Penelope Rosse, 1685 – 90, England
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  12. portrait miniature
    Portrait of Katherine Whitmore, portrait miniature, by Bernard Lens (III, the younger), 1724, England
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  13. portrait miniature
    Portrait of an unknown woman holding a miniature, portrait miniature, by Heinrich Friedrich Füger, 1780 – 89, Vienna, Austria
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  14. miniature
    Portrait miniature of the Duke of Reichstadt as a boy, watercolour on ivory, by Jean Baptiste Isabey, about 1818, France
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment
  15. portrait miniature
    Portrait miniature of William Pateshall, watercolour on ivory, by Sarah Biffin, 1811, England
    V&A South Kensington
    View by appointment

Trending

Supernatural

From a mystery skeleton in a cabinet to ghostly appearances in photography, myths and magic in gemstones to witchcraft, discover the spooky and spiritual side of our collections...if you dare!

Read

A history of tarot cards

Find out more about the history and evolution of tarot through the V&A's diverse collection of cards.

  1. Watch

    500 years of witches in art and design

    Grab your broom and join us for a spellbinding journey through art and design history
  2. Read

    The Luck of Edenhall: history and legend of a 14th-century glass beaker

    Its unique, superstition-wrapped history makes this antique drinking glass one of the museum's most intriguing objects
  3. Watch

    A brief history of ghosts and spirit photography

    Find out about the Victorian obsession with seances, spiritualism and capturing ghosts
  4. Watch

    The skeleton in the cabinet: unveiling a 17th-century mystery

    Unlock the secrets of this rare and beautiful cabinet from modern-day Colombia
  5. Watch

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

    Revealing the hidden meanings and magical attributes of gemstones
  6. Read

    An A – Z of gemstones

    Discover dazzling objects encrusted with gems – from amethyst to Whitby jet
  7. Read

    Alfred Stieglitz – pioneer of modern photography

    "Photography fascinated me, first as a toy, then as a passion, then as an obsession."

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In our venues

See the collections in person. For some objects not on display you can view by appointment. Our collections include the National Art Library and the V&A Archives.

  1. mechanical organ
    Tippoo's Tiger, mechanical organ, about 1793, Mysore, India
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. plaster cast of Trajan's Column
    (Detail) Trajan's column, plaster cast, by Monsieur Oudry, about 1864, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. bed
    The Great Bed of Ware, designed by Hans Vredeman de Vries, 1590 – 1600, Ware, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. 3D-printed logotype woodblock
    3D-printed Extinction Rebellion logotype woodblock
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  5. pride Flag
    Progress Pride flag, designed by Daniel Quasar, manufactured by Custom Flag Company Inc., 2020, Westminster
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  6. evening ensemble
    (Detail) Pérou evening ensemble, designed by Christian Dior, by Bodin Brossin, 1954, Paris, France
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  7. Costumes
    Costumes for 'Le Train Bleu', designed by Coco Chanel, 1924
    On loan
  1. plate
    'Variations on a Geometric Theme' plate, designed by Eduardo Paolozzi, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1970, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    On loan
  2. vase
    Portland Vase, by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, 1793, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  3. painting
    Wedgwood family portrait, oil painting, by George Stubbs, 1780, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  4. vase
    Lessore Vase, painted by Emile Aubert Lessore, made by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, about 1863, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  5. yellow and black oval medallion
    Anti-slavery medallion, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1787, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    Not on display
  6. teapot in the shape of a cauliflower
    Teapot moulded in the shape of a cauliflower, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1765, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  7. trial tray
    Jasperware trials mounted on a wooden tray, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, 1773 – 76, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  8. teapot
    Teapot, designed by Douglas Baillie Hamilton Cochrane, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, 1906
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  9. Detail of brightly coloured bowl
    Detail of 'Fairyland Lustre' bowl, by Josiah Wedgwood and sons, about 1923, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, England
    V&A Wedgwood Collection
    On display
  1. installation
    Place (Village), installation, by Rachel Whiteread, about 1995 – 2015, London
    Young V&A
    On display
  2. installation
    Planetarium, installation, by Tristan Blondeau, 2023, Paris, France
    Young V&A
    On display
  3. print
    The Self-Portrait, print, by Quentin Blake, 2010, UK
    Young V&A
    On display
  4. dolls' house
    Bettiscombe, dolls' house, about 1870, England
    Young V&A
    On display
  5. soft toy
    Pikachu, soft toy, manufactured by Deutshe Toy GMBH, 1995 – 99, Munich, Germany
    Young V&A
    On display
  6. bionic arm
    'Hero Arm', Open Bionics, 3D printed bionic arm for a child, Bristol, England
    Young V&A
    On display
  7. computer
    Amstrad CPC 464 Computer, manufactured by Amstrad, 1984, England
    Young V&A
    On display
  8. film hoarding
    Devdas, film hoarding, by Balkrishna Arts, 2002, London, England
    Young V&A
    On display
  9. toys
    Death Star, designed by Bjarke Lykke Madsen, designed by Bas Brederode, manufactured by The LEGO Group, 2011 – 12, Denmark
    Young V&A
    On display
  1. ensemble
    Cut, Slash & Pull, ensemble, by Vivienne Westwood, 1990, England
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  2. powder bowl
    Powder bowl, made by Halex Ltd, 1930 – 39, Walthamstow, London, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  3. corset
    Corset, maker unknown, 1895 – 1900, possibly made in Germany or England
    V&A East Storehouse
    On display
  4. t-shirt
    Hackney Lesbian Strength and Gay Pride 1993, t-shirt, maker unknown, 1993, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    On display
  5. silk programme
    Silk programme printed for the 'Grand Opening Night' of the Empire Palace Theatre Stratford, London, designer unknown, 1899, London, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    On display
  6. tracksuit
    Tracksuit showing scenes from the 2011 East London riots, by SIBLING, 2012, London, England
    V&A East Storehouse
    On display
A gloved hand takes the lid off a ceramic jar
a gloves hand holds a Japanese netsuke
two people unpack a punk hat in a study centre

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