Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Virtu

Virtu (?; 277) , noun

[Italian virtù virtue, excellence, from Latin virtus. See Virtue.]

A love of the fine arts; a taste for curiosities. — J. Spence
I had thoughts, in my chambers to place it in view, To be shown to my friends as a piece of virtù. — Goldsmith
Collocations (1)
An article of virtu or a piece of virtu , an object of art or antiquity; a curiosity, such as those found in museums or private collections.