Bath’s Holburne museum to unveil ‘art chamber’ of Renaissance masterpieces
Beneath the Georgian city of Bath, a gleaming treasury of Renaissance masterpieces created for kings, queens, church leaders and scientists is about to be unveiled,Based on the idea of the Renaissance kunstkammer – an art chamber – the basement room at the Holburne Museum is crammed with scores of exquisite pieces of silverware, paintings, bronzes and ceramics,They include an astonishing model of a silver ship, a rare mechanical celestial globe and a silver-gilt vessel likely to have belonged to Henry VIII,“It’s wonderful having pieces here that you’d usually see in places like the Met in New York or the British Museum,” said Chris Stephens, director of the Holburne,The treasures were collected over many decades by the Schroder family, who made their fortune as merchants and bankers, and have been loaned to the Holburne for at least 20 years.
A £2m gallery has been created out of two store rooms to show off the objects, which have never been brought together in one place before,The relationship between the Holburne and the Schroders began about five years ago, when the family’s art curator wondered if the museum would like to borrow a few of the family’s Renaissance paintings,Stephens boldly asked if they could possibly loan all of them,“I thought they’d say no but they were delighted and we turned my office into a gallery for them,”The family then offered the Holburne other Renaissance treasures and the idea of creating Bath’s very own kunstkammer emerged.
Stephens said: “The key decision was to have everything in there together, not to separate the different art forms.That created the sense of the kunstkammer, the Renaissance idea in which wealthy people would bring together exotic items from around the world.”Among the highlights of the collection is a celestial globe commissioned in the 16th century by one of the earliest modern astronomers, Wilhelm IV of Hesse-Kassel.When it was wound up, the globe turned to show the position of constellations.“It’s like those apps of the night sky you get that tell you which stars you are looking at,” Stephens said.
“It was made in the 1570s.To have that level of precision and complexity and so many moving points is awesome.”The silver ship – the Schwarzenberg Nef – was created in about 1580.It is a ceremonial ewer – a pitcher or jug – that could be filled with drink through a hole in the deck with the spout concealed within the bow.“It’s miraculous,” said Stephens, pointing out details such as the rigging billowing out with the weight of a crew member and the hefty chicken on a plate in the captain’s cabin.
It is not certain that Henry VIII handled the silver-gilt cup that appears in another cabinet, but the signs are that it was his – one of his inventories describes such a vessel weighing exactly the same as this one.Most of the objects were collected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.They have been held at various homes and offices owned by members of the Schroder family.The only collection comparable to Bath’s new kunstkammer, Stephens said, was the Waddesdon Bequest in the British Museum, a collection of Renaissance treasures collected by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild.“What’s really exciting is to see all these objects brought together in one place.
It’s extraordinary, really.” The Schroder Gallery opens to the public on 10 September 2025
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Cress to impress: the peppery, unsung hero ingredient | Kitchen aide
Growing cress with my daughter is a fun activity, but she’s intolerant to eggs so can’t have the classic sandwich I grew up with. What else can we make with cress? Sophie, via emailThis is also a pressing matter for Rosie Birkett, author of the A Lot on her Plate Substack, because her daughter recently returned home from nursery with a yoghurt tub containing cress: “It might be tiny, but cress is mighty – peppery punchy, and full of character, almost like a mini rocket leaf.” And if eggs are off the menu, Birkett’s first port of call would be to harness the young seedlings’ ability to accessorise: “Do your usual mashed avocado with a little lemon and olive oil, spread that over bread or toast, then top with a scattering of cress. It will add brilliant bite, freshness and pepperiness.”The same goes for bruschetta, or toasts with hummus, olive oil and gentle spices such as cumin, says Anna Jones, author of Easy Wins
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Cherries are a big deal in Extremadura, where I’m from, especially in the Valle del Jerte to the north, where the picotas are some of the best in all of Spain: sweet, dark, no stalk and full of flavour. At home, we usually just eat them by the handful, fresh and cold, so when I started cooking with them, my family looked at me as if I’d gone mad. But they always end up saying yes after the first spoonful. This chilled cherry and tempranillo soup is one of those dishes: a bit unexpected, but it always gets a smile.Fresh cherries are one of the joys of late summer, but this soup can also be made using frozen cherries at any time of year
The plant-based problem: why vegan restaurants are closing – or adding meat to the menu
Veganism is still on the rise, but many popular venues and chains are shutting down. Are they victims of a terrible era for hospitality or part of a growing shift in cultural values?When London’s Unity Diner wrapped up 2024 with the announcement that it would soon be shutting its doors for good, it expected some sadness from its customers. After all, the not-for-profit restaurant had been an innovator in the city’s vegan scene, serving up 3D-printed “vegan steak” (made of plant protein with the fibrous feel of the real thing) and disarmingly realistic “tofish” (tofu fish) alongside the classic burgers and chips. Throw in its animal sanctuary fundraising, and the restaurant had been faithfully embraced by vegans.But, from the reaction it received, you would think its supporters were genuinely grieving
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