Publisher's Synopsis
From luminaries such as J.M.W. Turner to the all but forgotten George Travers - and through the hierarchy of genres from high art to animals, fruit, flowers, sea and landscapes - the 500 pictures covered in this catalogue, many of which are published and reproduced for the first time, form about half of the V & A's collection of British oil paintings. Many of these paintings were given to the museum by its founders - the earliest example was the remarkable Sheepshanks gift in 1857, when 233 paintings were donated.;Each painting is illustrated in miniature, and entries are arranged in alphabetical order, by name of artist. Brief biographical notes are included, with a note of the circumstances of the work's commission, details of its later history, and, in some circumstances, physical condition.
