UK BLOG

Even the most confirmed atheist might find themselves seduced by the awesome religiosity as displayed in the new Medieval & Renaissance Galleries at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

The ten galleries — which cost £31.75 million and take up an entire wing of the museum — take you on a journey through European religious practices of the eras, from a multifaith society, where Roman, Pagan and Christian practices coexisted, to one which was increasingly dominated by Christianity.

Faced with such riches there is little option but to cherry-pick: some may be drawn to Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, or the 13th century glass from Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, but I was struck by the development of Christian art forms within the boundaries of the later Roman Empire — look out for The Symmachi Panel (one half of an exquisite ivory diptych, dated around 400AD) and the wonderfully ornate golden Gloucester Candlestick, believed to be one of the earliest surviving altar candlesticks.

Elsewhere in the exhibition you will discover outstanding examples of illuminated manuscripts, stained glass and tapestries. I’d always assumed the Middle Ages to be particularly gloomy, but the colours here are still vibrant and strong. The Boar and Bear Hunt tapestry, which takes up an entire wall, gives an exceptionally vivid and evocative representation of late medieval court life.

But most of impressive of all is the sheer scale of the exhibition – large enough to include (among other things) the entire timber façade of Sir Paul Pindar’s house, one of the few wooden frames to survive the Great Fire of London. Don’t miss it.

For more information visit: vam.ac.uk/