§ Mr. GRANTasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that in the Victoria and Albert Museum more than 150 closely similar watch movements of the 18th century, illustrative of some half-dozen types of design and workmanship, a series of silver spoons, already represented in a larger series of corresponding specimens belonging to the permanent collection in the East Central Court, No. 44, six cases containing hundreds of large and small drinking glasses, displaying closely corresponding features of design and manufacture already represented in the permanent collection, several large and smaller embroideries from Greek islands, closely corresponding with specimens in the permanent collection, are exhibited on loan in the Loan Court of the Victoria and Albert Museum; and, if so, can he see his way to give instructions that the acceptance, on loan of such redundant examples shall be brought under better control than appears to be exercised at present, in the interests of economising space in the museum and simplifying administration?
Mr. H. LEWISThe groups of loans referred to (watch movements, spoons, drinking glasses, and embroideries from the Greek islands) include in each instance specimens differing from, or superior to, any in the corresponding permanent collections of the museum. They are thus supplementary to those collections, and the opportunity generously offered by their respective owners for placing them on view is greatly valued by students, designers, and craftsmen.
§ Mr. GRANTasked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that considerable collections of 17th and 18th century French furniture, porcelain, metal work, etc., have been on loan since 1820W 1917, and are still exhibited, in the Loan Court of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and that a considerable proportion of them is redundant when compared with almost identical examples in the permanent collections, of which the Jenes bequest is an important part, officially described in the guide published for the museum in 1911 as comprising a magnificent series of French furniture of the periods of Louis XIV, XV, and XVI, a collection of Sèvres porcelain which is one of the most important in this country, exceedingly rich metal work by the great French artists of the 18th century, a splendid collection of bijouterie of the 18th century, and a group of snuff-boxes of the finest quality; and, if so, how much longer does he anticipate that storing the above-mentioned loans will serve the purposes of the museum?
Mr. LEWISThe same conditions as referred to in the previous question (No. 1) apply also to the collections of French furniture, porcelain, metal work now exhibited in the Loan Court of the museum. It may possibly be true in a few instances that some of these exhibits appear to duplicate objects exhibited in the permanent collections. The similarity, however, is generally more apparent than real, and I should add that these considerations are not the only one to be taken into account in accepting an object on loan.
§ Mr. GRANTasked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that amongst the specimens belonging to the permanent collections crowded together in the east central court, No. 44, of the Victoria and Albert Museum there are several loans; and, if so, will he consider the desirability of causing these apparently derelict loans to be placed in the loan court, No. 40, and thus make room in court No. 44 for many of the specimens belonging to the permanent collection which are now in the loan court, No. 40?
Mr. LEWISThe two courts referred to (40 and 44) are among those now in course of reorganisation following Wartime disarrangement.