The galleries are now closed.

The superb collection of gold, silver, micromosaics and gold boxes, given to the nation by the late Sir Arthur Gilbert in 1996, is moving from its current home in Somerset House to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Gilbert Collection is one of the most important collections of works of art ever gifted to Britain and it is appropriate that it should find its long-term home in the world’s largest and finest museum of decorative arts.

The Gilbert Collection closed to the public in Somerset House on 27 January 2008 and will open in Autumn 2009 in a suite of galleries at the V&A. In the new galleries overlooking the V&A garden there will be a display celebrating the Collection’s masterpieces with a particular focus on the gold snuffboxes. Some pieces will be incorporated into displays elsewhere in the V&A. Some of the silver will be loaned to the historic houses for which it was originally made.

The move to South Kensington allows the spectacular Gilbert Collection to be appreciated by a wider and larger audience than is possible in the context of Somerset House.

Please visit the V&A site for more information about the Gilbert Collection at: www.vam.ac.uk/gilbertcollection