A Renaissance Treasury: The Schroder Collection at the Holburne Museum

Unveiling the treasures of the Schroder Collection, one of the finest collections of Renaissance silver, paintings, works on paper, bronzes, maiolica and gems in private hands

The highlights of this lavishly illustrated catalogue include magnificent Renaissance goldsmith work; paintings by artists such as Lucas Cranach the Elder, Hans Holbein the Elder and Hans Burgkmair, and masterpieces of Italian maiolica and bronze sculpture by masters including Giambologna.
 
Acquired by the Schroder banking family mainly between the second half of the nineteenth and the early twentieth century, several of these masterpieces have never been seen by the public and have remained unpublished until now. This diverse group of objects, made of both familiar and exotic materials and spanning a wide range of styles, subjects and techniques, embodies the characteristics of the Renaissance and its global nature. Jerry Brotton’s innovative and thought-provoking overview of the period reveals the crosscultural fertilization of materials, ideas and motifs both across Europe (especially from north to south) and the East, including first Byzantine then Ottoman dominions, as well as the Far East. This sets the scene for a survey of sixteenth-century art forms, including luxury goldsmith work, German prints and books, Northern Renaissance painting, Italian bronze and maiolica, and antique engraved gems and cameos. Each section is introduced by a leading expert in the field and includes in-depth essays on selected highlights from the collection.
 
The publication celebrates the launch of the new Renaissance Gallery in the Holburne Museum in Bath, which draws inspiration from the grand treasury displays of the past and makes the collection accessible to a wider audience.

Published by Paul Holberton Publishing

Exhibition Schedule:

The Holburne Museum
(June 2025)