The Virigin and Child

This statuette is from the Salting bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909) - an Australian, who settled in England - was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.