Members of the Cambridge Society spent an interesting 2 hours in the V&A exploring all things sculptural, in a tour led by Blue Badge Guide Caroline Piper. This included the modern Chihuly Chandelier of lime green and turquoise glass that hangs in the museum entrance hall (pictured), and probably the most famous sculpture in the V&A collection, Giambologna’s “Samson Slaying a Philistine” which is so balanced and brilliantly carved it only rests on its base at 5 points.
The group learnt how sculptors approach their art and the different techniques used, including how to cast a bronze. We then took a tour around great Italian figure and architectural sculpture in the V&A’s amazing Cast Courts. The V&A holds an unrivalled collection of plaster cast copies of Europe’s greatest treasures, amassed during the casting craze of the 19th century and these include a wonderful cast of Michelangelo’s “David” and of the vast pulpit from Pisa cathedral (both pictured). The cast of David was originally a gift to Queen Victoria who placed a modest fig leaf over his genitals, this Victorian vandalism has since been removed!
Lastly we explored British sculpture from 1600 – 1900. Highlights include the neoclassical sculptures commissioned by 18th and early 19th century aristocrats to adorn their great country homes and estates. One of the best sculptors in this field was Antonio Canova and the photo shows his dramatic sculpture “Theseus and the Minotaur” with its wonderful expression of textures, such as the Minotaur’s woolly chest, created in cold marble,. We ended with the wonderful Rodin bequest and the first steps towards modern sculpture.
Organised by Caroline Piper