Art and collections
We care for one of the world's largest and most significant collections of art and heritage objects. Explore the highlights, our latest major exhibitions, curatorial research and more.
Autumn scenes and stories in our collections
- Expert curated
Artists and designers have long been inspired by the fiery colours, abundant harvest and seasonal traditions of autumn. From paintings and works on paper to tapestries and ceramics, these autumnal works of art are just a small selection from the more than one million objects in our care.
The colours of nature
The vibrant, deep colours of autumn have acted as the perfect palate for art in the collections in our care. See woodland toadstools, golden leaves and garden colour.
Woodland wonders
If you take a woodland wander in autumn, chances are you’ll come across fungi clinging to old tree trunks or peeping through the leaf litter on the woodland floor. These brightly coloured toadstools are Fly Agaric, painted in watercolour by Beatrix Potter in 1890.
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Autumn creatures
From deer rutting to mass bird migrations, autumn has its fair share of natural spectacles and abundant wildlife to inspire artists. Our collections feature many vibrant depictions of the animals of autumn, explore these highlights.
Jays
With fewer leaves on the trees the bright colours of the jay are easier to spot, although you won’t see this variety in the UK. It’s a crested jay, from southeast Asia, depicted in a set of watercolours at Scotney Castle, Kent.
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Autumn personified
The harvesting and foraging of autumn grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables and fungi is important to many cultures and for millennia these bounties have held symbolic significance and meaning in religion, myth, folklore, and popular culture.
Pomona
In Roman mythology, the goddess Pomona personified fruitful abundance and was particularly associated with orchards, fruit trees and gardens. This 1884 watercolour design for a Morris & Co. tapestry depicts the figure of Pomona by Edward Burne-Jones against a background of foliage by William Morris.
Harvest celebrations
In Britain, autumn is seen as a time of abundance, when the bounty of the warm summer is harvested or foraged in preparation for the winter ahead. The season begins with the Equinox on or around 21 September and ends with the Winter Solstice on 21 December. Traditionally, one of the biggest festivals of autumn was Harvest Festival, which falls on the Sunday closest to the harvest full moon in early October and marks the end of the agricultural harvest that started on 1 August (also known as Lammas or Lughnasadh).
Fruit picking
Ham House in Surrey is home to a set of early 18th-century tapestries by Stephen de May, depicting rural scenes at different times of the year. The set is incomplete and would originally have consisted of 12, one for each month. October shows grapes being gathered.
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Video
Take a closer look at De Heem's still life
Curator Rupert Goulding uncovers the symbolism and hidden meanings of A Still Life of Flowers and Fruit, a Dutch masterpiece by Cornelis de Heem. There's more to this painting of flower and fruit than meets the eye.
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