Gilbert Collection

Closed 27 January 2008 and will open in Autumn 2009 in a suite of galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

London's newest museum of decorative arts, the Gilbert Collection, is in the restored South Building of Somerset House.

The very unique collection of decorative silver, gold boxes and micro-mosaics, which are intricate pictures created from tiny pieces of coloured glass and stone, was donated to the British nation in 1996 by Sir Arthur Gilbert, the London-born evening gown maker and real estate millionaire.

Highlights of the pieces include a lavish 'howdah' , seat for riding on an elephant, in the 'Indian Palace furniture' section and a pair of 18th century silver and iron church gates, commissioned by Catherine the Great.

There is one of the richest collections of gold snuffboxes in the world. The gem-encrusted boxes from the collection of Frederick the Great are simply breathtaking. The silverware room has a vast collection of silverware, almost overwhelming. The pieces on display include work by the master craftsmen Paul Storr and Paul de Lamerie.