Cast Courts

About

The Cast Courts (originally the Architectural Courts) comprise Rooms 46, 46a and 46b of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. The ensemble of these galleries houses a collection of reproductions made from some of the most well known and recognisable European statues, reliefs, and architectural ornamentation, as well as copies of various smaller decorative objects, memorials, and motifs. Most of the plaster casts were made in the 19th or early 20th century, and some of are better preserved than the originals, being protected from harm caused by pollution, over-zealous conservation, or other misfortune. A few examples, such as the museum's cast of a late 15th century relief of Christ washing the Apostles' feet, are unique records—as the original works from which they were created have been either lost, damaged, or destroyed.