A foray at the V & A

What a wonderful labrynthine treasure trove

the Victoria and Albert Museum is.

I spent a while familiarising myself

with the floor plan.

And then set off in search of James Leman

and his influences -

specifically tulips.

Might he have seen this bottle?

or this dish with tulips and roses from 1575?

Might he have admired these tiles from 

the mosque of Piyale Pasha north of Istanbul?

I saw so many beautiful things,

but sadly the camera didn't cope well with the low light levels

so I can't show you the Ottoman hanging

with silk embroidered flowers and serrated leaves,

or the Turkey kemha silk with gold tulips and pomegranates 

on a green ground

scattered with red and blue rosebuds .

There were chintzes from the coast of Coromandel

(where lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo)

and pull out frames of medieval tapestries and

William Morris's own take on 

Tulips in 1875.

I reached the Prints and Drawings Study Room

just too late to request sight of the fifty or so boxes

of James Leman's designs,

but they are mine for the asking next time.

By then

I was ready to assume the horizontal

and rather envied these folks

their cool marble bed.