Medieval and Renaissance Galleries

The V&A's ten new galleries, which cost £30 million and occupy an entire wing of the museum, cover European art and design from the fall of the Roman Empire to the end of the Renaissance period. Highlights of the collections include dramatic Gothic altarpieces, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Becket Casket (an ornate casket which probably contained the remains of Archbishop Thomas Becket), and 'The Ascension with Christ Giving the Keys to St Peter' by Donatello. Two 'discovery areas' provide space for family activities such as brass rubbing and dressing up in period costume, and a study area offers access to online resources.