The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design

Corner view of a museum building from the early 1900s
The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in 1905.
Photo: Per Adolf Thorén

Founded in 1876, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design was among the oldest museums in Norway. You can view the collection today in the National Museum.

Explore our online collection

Pictures of objects in our collection of costumes, glass, ceramics and furniture are free for download and study.

You can also explore our collection of costumes photographed in 360 degrees.

From antiquity to the present

The collection holds some 50,000 objects, covering costume, fashion and textiles, furniture, silver, glass, ceramics, design and crafts, from ancient times to the present. Highlights include the 12th-century Baldishol Tapestry, the Royal Costume Collection, Nøstetangen glass and Herrebøe faience.

One of Norway’s oldest museums

Founded in 1876, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design was among the oldest museums in Norway and one of the oldest museums of applied art anywhere in Europe. In 2003, the museum became part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. The museum closed in October 2016.