Arthur and Rosalind Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of about 40 years formed one of the world's most magnificent private collections of decorative arts. Consisting of some 800 objects, it is pre-eminent in its four fields: European gold and silver, gold boxes, Italian mosaics and miniature portraits in enamel.

 

This book accompanies the spectacular presentation of the Gilbert Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where newly refurbished galleries make the collection more accessible than ever before. Edited by Timothy Schroder, who has worked with the collection for over 20 years, the book highlights a selection of the masterpieces on display, from a third-millenium-BC gold ewer to the jewelled snuffboxes of Frederick the Great.

 

Each chapter draws on the experience and expertise of the V&A curators in the Department of Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass as they discuss one of the greatest gifts of art ever made to the British nation.