A Renaissance Treasury

This lavishly illustrated catalogue will unveil 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.

Highlights 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and the early twentieth century, several of these masterpieces have never been seen by the public and have remained unpublished until now.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 cross-cultural fertilisation 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 16th-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 will celebrate the 2025 launch of the new Renaissance Gallery in the Holburne Museum in Bath, which will draw inspiration from the grand treasury displays of the past and make the collection accessible to a wider audience.

Exhibition Schedule

The Holburne Museum

June 2025

Published by Paul Holberton Publishing