This is a wide angle shot of the Ceramic Staircase at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Designed by Francis Wollaston Moody from V&A's design studio, and built between 1865 and 1871, the staircase was influenced by Renaissance terracotta moulding techniques. The ceramic company Minton, Hollins & Co produced the tiles and developed a new material, vitrified ceramic, to enable tiles to be applied to the museum's curved ceilings.
You can read more about the staircase and Ceramics Gallery - and also view some colour photos without the wide angle distortion - on this webpage:
