Treasures of the Royal Courts of the Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tsars shown at V&A

In a magnificent show this summer the Victorian & Albert in London reveals the majesty of the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I to Ivan the Terrible and the early Romanovs, celebrating 500 years of exchange between Britain and Russia. Comprising more than 150 objects, from royal portraits, jewellery and luxury goods to processional armour and heraldry, the exhibition chronicles the close relationship between the English monarchy and the Russian Tsars.

In the exhibition the outstanding craftsmanship of the workshops attached to the courts will be explored including the Royal Almain Armoury in Greenwich, founded by Henry VIII in 1515, which tailor-made his imposing suit of armour on loan from the Royal Collection. In connection with this the Almain Album, a unique record containing 29 bespoke Greenwich armour designs by Jacob Halder for high-ranking royal courtiers of the Elizabethan court will be shown as an interactive display.

At the heart of the exhibition is the beautiful English and French silver given to the Tsars by the British Royal Family, on exclusive loan from the Moscow Kremlin Museums in celebration of 500 years of Anglo-Russian exchange.

Treasures of the Royal Court of the Tudors, Stuarts and Russian Tsars
09.03.2013 – 14.07.2013
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

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Treasures of the Royal Court. Catalogue
By Tessa Murdoch and Olga Dmitrieva
V&A Publishing 2013