Treasures of the royal courts: Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tzars

09.03 – 14.07.2013

Experience the majesty of the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I to Ivan the Terrible and the early Romanovs in a major exhibition at the V&A. From royal portraits, costume and jewellery to armour and heraldry, Treasures of the Royal Courts tells the story of diplomacy between the British Monarchy and the Russian Tsars through more than 150 magnificent objects.

A rarely-shown painting of Elizabeth I, Shakespeare's First Folio, a suit of armour tailor-made for Henry VIII and the legendary ruby-studded Drake Star reveal the spectacular world of kings, queens, merchants and courtiers from 1509 to 1685. 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.