As usual, we confine ourselves to a couple of areas rather than trying to take it all in. So we admire altarpieces from the early 16th century. And near them a set of stair ends from Florence, circa 1500, with various animal carvings, one showing an indeterminate beast biting the tail of another.
In a nearby room are antique Iranian carpets, interestingly including one showing several pairs of animals with one attacking the other. Particularly surprising as most Muslim art avoids the representation of animals. The largest carpet here takes up the centre of a large room and is (dimly) lit only ten minutes out of every thirty to protect it from deterioration. Known as the Ardabil carpet, it was commissioned by the shah of Iran in 1539-40. It has white silk warp and weft and a pattern of knotted wool, with an astonishing 304 knots per square inch.
The V&A has an inner courtyard with a shallow pool and today it's sunny, though there is a cool breeze. Not chill enough to deter a couple of children who are paddling - which is allowed, though a sign tells us that sitting in the pool and taking off one's clothes are not. We're not tempted, but the kiddies seem to be having a good time. Evening meal at Roses in Kilburn. We're torn between fish and chips, which we know are excellent, and chicken curry (the Tuesday special) which we haven't had before, so order one of each and trade bits. Both are keepers for future reference, and either could easily have fed us both, accompanied as they were by large (and v good) salads. In fact we can't finish. £13.45 ($22.60 CAD) for the two of us, including tax as all UK prices do.
