Treasures: From the Renaissance to Victoria Age- Gilbert’s Fine Art Exhibition in the V&A Museum

Co-organized by AEC, the Shandong Museum and the British V & A Museum, Treasures: From the Renaissance to Victoria Age- Gilbert’s Fine Art Exhibition in the V&A Museum was officially opened to the public at the Shandong Museum on April 28, 2023.

The exhibition features 90 pieces (sets) of representative art works from the European decorative arts collection of the V&A Museum in the United Kingdom, and 16 pieces (sets) of cultural objects from the Shandong Museum. The exhibits include gold and silver wares, snuffboxes, miniature mosaics, enamel portraits and other types of cultural objects. With materials and design elements from five continents, these objects reproduce the genes of human civilization on five continents and paint a wonderful picture of the world’s diverse civilizations. The exhibition intends to present the exquisite life of European society in the 16th-19th centuries through the display of exquisite and rich art treasures, leading the audience to experience the feast, to feel the customs from across the ocean and the vitality of civilization integration. By sharing the fruits of civilization through exchange and mutual understanding, it aims at promoting the beauty of different civilizations and their commonality.

The 16th-19th centuries were the golden age of European decorative arts with various craft techniques flourishing and progressing. Among these exhibits, there are all kinds of noble and solemn religious ritual vessels, dazzling gold and silver wares, colorful miniature mosaics, exquisite and pocket-sized art pieces. With so many kinds of exquisite and glamouring handicrafts, it is a dazzling show divided into four sections, namely: “European Style and Charm”, “Luxury Feast”, “Microscopic Works” and “Beauty with Commonality”. The unique perspective of “Pliny’s Dove” is chosen to bring the audience on a journey from the Renaissance to the Victorian Age to enjoy a visual feast across five continents, and to appreciate the different flavors of ancient civilizations and the collision and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.

The exhibition will be on display until August 31, 2023