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Having lived in London now for nearly 4 months, I've visited many museums including the British, the Natural History, the LGBT museum and many others but yesterday I think I found my favourite - The Victoria and Albert.
Getting there is dead easy of course, via the Tube so you get off at South Kensington. There is an underground foot tunnel which leads from the station directly to the Victoria and Albert museum. Entry is free.
En route, you'll discover many of these placards along the walls with details outlining much of the history of the many railway stations that connect through to South Kensington.
After about 5 minutes, you literally walk straight into the museum - the V&A as it's known to locals.
Having studied the likes of Henry Moore during my school years, I have an understanding and appreciation of sculpture, knowing the hard work it takes to produce an art piece of impeccable beauty.
But unlike the wood sculpture I created for my high school leaving certificate, it pales in comparison to the work I was about to see.
As I entered, my jaw hit the floor with shivers running down my spine as I was greeted with a room full of ancient sculpture, most of it in marble which is one of the hardest mediums to work with, but in my opinion, one of the most beautiful when sanded and polished.
Take this sculpture by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), carved from a block of solid marble. The "Three Graces" in Greek mythology represents elegance, youth and beauty. It took the artist 3 whole years to carve up this exquisite piece. The detail of this and the dozens of stone sculptures that line these halls is simply breathtaking.
Take this sculpture by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), carved from a block of solid marble. The "Three Graces" in Greek mythology represents elegance, youth and beauty. It took the artist 3 whole years to carve up this exquisite piece. The detail of this and the dozens of stone sculptures that line these halls is simply breathtaking.
Above is choir screen which was used to separate the public from the private area of the church reserved for the clergy. It was built in the early 17th century by S-Hertongenbosch, to reaffirm his devotion to Roman Catholicism. It was constructed using 5 different types of stone...
English Alabaster which is light in colour, very easy to carve and so was used for the panels
Pink-veined Alabaster was used to carve the ornaments and human figures.
Caen stone from Normandy, used extensively throughout Northern Europe for centuries.
Black Tournai stone, which came from Tournai in modern Belgium.
Red jaspered marble.
But this is just the beginning of a vast collection of ancient artifacts from all over the globe. There is a medieval section, an Asian collection, British and Buddhist collections spanning centuries as well as collections from Islam and the Middle East. There's a whole floor dedicated to ceramics and glass as well as a rooms showcasing the very best of furniture and interior design through the ages.
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