The Painted World takes the outstanding collections of the Victoria and
Albert Museum as the starting point for an all-inclusive survey of
painting from the Middle Ages to the present day, encompassing painted
furniture, textiles and ceramics as well as traditional oil on canvas.
easel pictures, composed exclusively of old masters and avant-garde
works. Many British paintings, watercolours, miniatures, icons and
non-European works relate uneasily to this twin canon of old and modern
masters. This richly illustrated account seeks to redress the balance by
exploring the wider history of painting, and includes a broad range of
painted works, from stained glass to items of costume, in addition to
numerous oil paintings and watercolours.