#ashmolean
MUSEUM SECRETS: A Miniature Masterpiece
“At first glance, we might assume that this copy of a German print belongs in the Ashmolean’s collections of European art. But no. This is an Indian drawing, and is housed here in the Eastern Art department. And it’s not just any Indian drawing, but one of the greatest of the Mughal Empire."
In the series 2 finale of our Museum Secrets podcast, Keeper of Eastern Art Mallica Kumbera Landrus introduces us to the child genius behind this tiny drawing. This piece of paper, only 10cm high, tells a story of cultures embracing each other across vast distances and the curiosity of one exceptional 13-year-old boy in Mughal India, 421 years ago.
Listen to ‘A Miniature Masterpiece’ here, or wherever you find your podcasts. -> https://www.ashmolean.org/museum-secrets
New Acquisition: A Golden Tea Bowl
One of our most recent acquisitions at the Museum is this beautiful golden tea bowl by Japanese artist Ogawa Machiko (b. 1946).
Clare Pollard, our curator of Japanese Art, writes: ‘Ogawa’s work is characterised by the raw intensity of its materials. Many of her ceramics resemble strange and wonderful mineral formations or archaeological artefacts that have just been excavated from the earth. Even this carefully crafted bowl retains an elemental quality, as if scooped out of raw clay. The earthy cracks and deep fissures of the roughly textured exterior contrast with the creamy-smooth, matte gold flow of the interior, creating an intriguing, powerful dynamic between interior and exterior space. This one small tea bowl encompasses a whole spectrum of moods.’
Our recent Ashmolean Members’ Magazine featured an article on this object and the artist behind it. Become a Member for access to these magazines, as well as a host of other benefits and perks.
Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours
Come for the portraits, stay for the landscapes. Or stay for it all, really, but our Pre-Raphaelites exhibition does include a whole section dedicated to the vivid and beautifully-detailed landscape works of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.
Pre-Raphaelite landscape painters worked out of doors, aiming to capture the effects of sunlight and shadow, and to include every detail that they could see. They often chose surprising effects of atmosphere or colour, or depicted familiar subjects from unusual viewpoints. The writings of John Ruskin encouraged them to look closely at nature, and to transcribe what they saw with the exactitude of a botanist or a geologist.
Instead of only using transparent washes, they also worked with bodycolour (gouache) which produces stronger, more intense colours. Some went abroad to find spectacular scenery, others stayed in southern England and found beauty in simple, everyday scenes.
Book your tickets today: https://www.ashmolean.org/pre-raphaelites
️ Red Barn at Whitchurch by George Price Boyce, 1868.
️ Study of a Distant Range of Mountains, William Dyce, 1860.
️ View of a Lake with Trees, John William Inchbold, 1857.
OUR MUSEUM: OUR VOICES
Part of the beauty of an object, or a museum collection, lies in its capacity to respond to more than one gaze and to unlock more than one story. We’re committed to hearing and telling as many of those stories as possible.
One of the ways we’re doing this is through ‘Our Museum: Our Voices’, a programme in which we asked 24 students to write alternative labels for objects on display in our galleries. The labels are written from personal experience as well as expertise, with participants considering their ethnicity, gender and sexuality in responding to the collections.
Keep an eye out for 'Our Museum: Our Voices’ labels as you roam the galleries during your next visit, and explore a virtual exhibition of the objects and their labels here: https://www.ashmolean.org/omov
It’s our Birthday!
We’re 338 years old today! On 24 May 1683, the doors of the Ashmolean Museum were officially opened to the public.
The Ashmolean came into existence when the wealthy antiquary Elias Ashmole gifted his collection to the University in 1682. He did so ‘because the knowledge of Nature is very necessary to human life and health.’ It opened as Britain’s first public museum, and the world’s first university museum.
Below is a print of the museum by Emery Walker from 1909. However, this wasn’t actually the original location of the museum. The first site of the Ashmolean was on Broad Street, where the Museum of the History of Science is now.
Celebrate with us today - what are some of your favourite Ashmolean memories? Let us know in the comments below.
Happy Birthday, Ashmole!
Today is the 404th birthday of Elias Ashmole, the founder of the Ashmolean Museum.
Ashmole was a well-connected antiquary, government official, collector and student of alchemy. His own collection of coins and a magnificent library of books and manuscripts had been dramatically expanded in 1659 with the addition of a collection – both man-made and natural – assembled from around the world by John Tradescant the Elder and his son, John Tradescant the Younger.
Ashmole donated most of his collections to the University of Oxford in 1677, and when the Ashmolean opened in 1683, it was not just a repository and place for research and teaching but also a public museum. Ashmole’s vision ultimately laid the foundations for museums as we know them today.
Though our collection has evolved considerably, Ashmole’s founding principle remains: that knowledge of humanity across cultures and across times is important to society.
Oil in canvas painting by John Riley, 1681-82.
Turtle Day
Happy #WorldTurtleDay! Here are a few turtles from our collections.
The first turtle made of wood is an inrō - a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects that was suspended from a sash worn around the waist. Traditional Japanese robes did not have pockets, so objects were often carried this way in a variety of different vessels. The inrō was particularly suitable for carrying anything small; this object measures only 11 x 71 centimetres.
Also below is a blue figure of a tortoise from 8th century China, and a terracotta vessel in the form of a turtle from late 3rd century-early 2nd century BC North India.
MUSEUM SECRETS: Toad Vaccines and Magical Jewellery
In today’s episode of our Museum Secrets podcast, join Curator Matthew Winterbottom as he explores ancient beliefs about disease testing and vaccines, through our collection of toadstone rings.
These bizarre pieces of jewellery have a lot to tell us about the human effort to find hope in the face of illness and uncertainty, even when it involves the strangest superstitions. And at the end of the day, it turns out that toadstones have nothing to do with toads after all…
Listen here or wherever you find your podcasts: ashmolean.org/museum-secrets
Albrecht Dürer
German Renaissance painter, printmaker and theorist Albrecht Dürer was born on this day in 1471.
Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe very early on in his life due to his high-quality woodcut prints, and is credited with bringing the Renaissance to Northern Europe. He travelled to Italy a number of times, and was well-acquainted with many of the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci. In 1512, he was appointed court painter to Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
This work, called Melencolia I, is one of the most well-known ‘master engravings’. Despite being rife with symbolism, it has more or less eluded interpretation. The winged figure is thought to be an embodiment of melancholy, and around her we can see an hourglass, weighing scales, and other tools, as well as a magic square and astrological features. Competing theories suggest it alludes to alchemy, astrology, theology or even philosophy.
We’d love to know: what do you see when you look at it? What do you think it could be about?
Engraving on laid paper, 1514.
Qing Dynasty Bowl
Sometimes we find things in our collections that we simply *must* share with you immediately. This bowl from, featuring some little fish amongst waterweeds, is one of those things.
Made from porcelain with blue underglazing, this bowl comes from the Yongzheng Period of the Qing Dynasty in China, c. 1723–1735.
“The stories of the ancient Middle East have generally been told through Western voices. Who you don’t hear are the voices of local people.”
Owning the Past (ملكية من بلاد الرافدين الى العراق ) is a dual language exhibition highlighting the long-lasting impact of the past on the present. It explores how the borders of the state of Iraq were established following the First World War when British control of the region included a fascination with its ancient past - one that led to a colonisation of Mesopotamian antiquity as much as the living communities. It questions what is meant by heritage and introduces voices and stories of people not previously visible in displays devoted to the very histories and heritage of their homelands.
In this film, we hear from some of those involved in the creation of the exhibition: Community Ambassadors Nuha Abdo and Mustafa Barcho; Community Engagement Officer Nicola Bird; Exhibition co-curators Paul Collins and Myfanwy Lloyd; and Artist Piers Secunda.
Owning the Past: From Mesopotamia to Iraq is now open in Gallery 8. Find out more: ashmolean.org/event/owning-the-past
We’re Open!
We are very happy to announce that the Ashmolean is now open!
Whether you want to visit your favourite objects in the galleries, explore a new exhibition or display, browse the shop or enjoy Afternoon Tea on the rooftop, we can’t wait to welcome you back.
To help keep everyone safe all visitors, including Members, need to book timed tickets in advance. Find out more and book today: ashmolean.org/plan-your-visit
Ruskin’s Kingfisher
Who else has been on the lookout for birds this spring?
What have you seen around Oxford, or wherever you are in the world? Has anyone been lucky enough to spot a Kingfisher?
This bright, detailed study of a Kingfisher is by Victorian artist and art critic John Ruskin c. 1871. It’s painted in watercolour and body-colour over graphite on wove paper.
Thomas Gainsborough
English portrait and landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough was born #onthisday in 1727.
Alongside his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough was a founding member of the Royal Academy and was considered one of the most important British artists of the 18th century. His portraits were characterised by light, feathery brush strokes and rich colour, and featured sitters in trendy, contemporary dress. He was the favourite painter of the reigning King George III and Queen Charlotte.
Despite his immense success as a portraitist, Gainsborough always maintained that he preferred to paint landscapes. His landscape works were hugely influential, and helped to establish the important of landscape as a category of British painting.
Riverside Landscape with Cattle, chalk on buff paper, 1770–1775.
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
“Not all heroes wear capes: some ride around on a Mobile Elevated Working Platform, wear a back-mounted vacuum and have been said to resemble a young Sigourney Weaver from the final scenes of ‘Aliens’."
While the Museum has been closed, our technician Tim has been taking advantage of the quiet galleries to do some rather unconventional cleaning and maintenance.
In this week’s story, find out how he’s been caring for our collections behind the scenes and helping us to prepare for reopening.
Read 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes’ here: ashmolean.org/article/high-level-cleaning
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
British poet, illustrator and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born on this day in 1828. Rossetti, who is one of the stars of our upcoming exhibition, was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood alongside William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais.
Rossetti’s romantic medievalism inspired a second generation of Pre-Raphaelite painters, most notably William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. Alongside his art, he was also known to write sonnets to accompany his pictures, and create art to illustrate the poems and literature that inspired him.
Rossetti’s personal life was closely linked to his work, in particular his relationship with his model and muse Jane Morris pictured in two of these portraits from our collection.
You can learn more about their relationship, see these works and much more in ‘Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours’, opening 18 May. Book your tickets today
ashmolean.org/pre-raphaelites
Happy Birthday, Edward Lear!
Edward Lear, a British poet and artist known for nonsensical literature, was born #onthisday in 1812.
Lear was forced to earn a living from the age of 15 when his father was sent to debtor’s prison, and was quickly recognised for his artistic talent. He was hired by the London Zoological Society to draw illustrations of birds in 1832, and later that year, was invited to the Earl of Derby’s estate where he stayed for four years.
While he spent most of the late 1830’s and 40’s travelling and painting landscapes, he is known today for his witty and humorous poems, including those from ‘A Book of Nonsense’ (1846) and his 'Nonsense Alphabets’. He is also thought to be the creator of the form and meter of the modern limerick.
Here are the letters T, C and H from an 1860 edition of his alphabet that we hold in our collections, complete with short poems for each.
Which is your favourite?
Paul Nash
“I have tried … to paint trees as tho’ they were human beings”
British surrealist painter, printmaker and war artist Paul Nash was born on this day in 1889.
Nash is considered to be one of the most important landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century, and played a key role in the development of Modernism in English art. The works that he produced during World War I are among the most iconic images of the conflict.
After the war, Nash continued to focus on landscape painting, but in an increasingly abstract and surreal manner. He found much inspiration in landscapes with elements of ancient history, such as burial mounts and Iron Age hill forts.
We have a number of engravings by Nash in our collection which can be viewed by appointment in our Western Art Print Room when we reopen.
The Wood on the Hill (Wittenham Clumps), pen and graphite on paper, 1912.
Cephalopod Week
This week is #CephalopodWeek, and today, we bring you this cephalopod who has seen better days.
The beautiful shell of this poor Nautilus was too much temptation for the artists and craftspeople of the Renaissance and Baroque period who fashioned indulgent Nautilus cups from gold, silver and real Nautilus shells.
Though they have survived five mass extinctions, Nautilus are now endangered by their harvesting by the shell trade. In more ways than one, ornaments made from Nautilus shells belong in museums.
Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day.
The painting above is by Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. Pissarro was known as a father figure within the Impressionist movement by virtue of his seniority but also his wisdom, kindness, and warm-hearted personality.
It wasn’t just within the artist movement that he played a paternal role. In his personal life, Pissarro fathered eight children with his wife Julie Vellay. Over his career, he produced many portraits of them, a number of which we hold in our collections. Scroll down to see a handful of these striking yet tender representations of his children.
Perhaps inspired by their father, many of Pissarro’s children also went on to become artists, including Lucien, Georges, and Félix.
View from my Window, 1886-88.
Portrait of Lucien Pissarro as a Young Boy, 1869–1870.
Jeanne Pissarro (Minette) holding a Fan, c. 1873
Jeanne-Rachel Pissarro seated at a table (Minette), c. 1872
Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro, c. 1883 - 1884
Portrait of Lucien Pissarro, 1883.
Blaise Pascal
‘We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart.’
French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal was born on this day in 1623. Educated by his father, Pascal showed an impressive grasp of mathematics from a young age, and went on to become a pioneer in the fields of game theory and probability. At the age of eighteen, in an effort to support his father with extensive tax calculations, he also invented and constructed one of the first mechanical calculators.
After an intense religious experience, Pascal’s commitment to Catholicism was renewed and he shifted his focus to religious, spiritual and philosophical writings. His most influential works are 'Lettres provinciales’ and 'Pensées’, the latter containing perhaps one of his most well-known ideas, Pascal’s Wager, which argues for a belief in God.
This small porcelain sculpture of Blaise Pascal was made in Sèvres Porcelain Factory c. 1784.
Hans Coper 100
Hans Coper was one of the 20th century’s great potters and artists. Our ongoing display celebrates his centenary by uniting items from our collection, more than 30 loans from private collectors and several seldom-seen, often intimate photographs of Coper at work.
Visit for FREE until 26 September, but don’t forget that a General Entry ticket is required.
https://ashmolean.org/event/hans-coper#/
A Tang Dynasty Goose
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Here is a small goose to brighten up your day.
This little goose is from 7th-8th century China, under the Tang Dynasty, and is made from hand-modelled earthenware. It would have been used a burial good.
Geese have featured prominently in Chinese rituals for many centuries: during the Han dynasty, from 206 BC to 220 AD, it became a symbol of nobility because of their similarity to the swan. Later on, during the Tang Dynasty, they were more often associated with marriage rites, as they were given as wedding gifts or involved in various elements of the wedding ceremony.
Burial goods or tomb figures were common in Tang Dynasty China, and it was thought that the figures represented would be available to the deceased in the afterlife.
Wu Guanzhong
Our FREE exhibition of works by Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010) is now open in Gallery 11.
Throughout the course of his career, Wu Guanzhong engaged in the traditions of both European and Chinese painting, studying at the National Academy of Art in Hangzhou and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts on Paris.
During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, he sparked national debate with an article advocating abstract art. Of the two conflicting painting movements of twentieth-century China, he wrote: “Nationalisation of oil painting and modernisation of Chinese ink painting are actually twins. When I encounter a problem in oil painting I transplant it into ink painting and sometimes it’s solved. Vice versa, when a problem couldn’t be solved in ink painting, I would try it in oil painting…”
This exhibition explores Wu Guanzhong’s work through the decades from the 1950s onwards. See it until 30 August in Gallery 11. Free, but a General Entry ticket is required.
ashmolean.org/event/wu-guanzhong
‘Tree Roots’, 1980s.
Coming Soon - Tokyo: Art & Photography
Our next major exhibition will explore Tokyo through the vibrant and varied arts it has generated over 400 years, from its beginnings as the headquarters of the Tokugawa shoguns in the early 1600s to the sprawling modern metropolis and dynamic centre of art, photography and design it is today.
Members will have access to a priority booking period, and will also be able to book into a private view on the day before the exhibition opens to the public. Become a Member today for access to these perks.
Opening 29th July. Find out more: ashmolean.org/tokyo
Tokyo from Utsurundesu series by Ninagawa Mika, 2018–2019
Good Evening Sumida River by Sugiyama Motosugu, 1993
Uguisudani-zu by Aida Makoto, 1990. Mineral pigments, acrylic on sex phone cards on panel
Tokyo Station, Scenes of Last Tokyo by Onchi Kōshirō, 1945.
Peonies by May Morris
Peony season is upon us, and we’re not complaining! Here are just a few more for you to feast your eyes on.
This group of deep pink peonies was painted by May Morris c. 1905 using watercolour over graphite. Swipe to see the brushstrokes up close.
Julia Margaret Cameron
Happy birthday Julia Margaret Cameron.
It wasn’t until 1863, when Cameron was in her late 40s, that she started taking photographs. Most photographic pioneers of the time were heavily focused (pun intended) on sharpness and precision, but Cameron’s soft images and dramatic lighting made for very distinctive portraits.
Cameron said of her approach, “The photograph thus taken has been almost the embodiment of a prayer.”
Head of St John (May Prinsep) by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1866
Study of Prospero (Sir Henry Taylor) by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1865
Ophelia (Mary Pinnock) by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1867
Museum Week: Eureka!
The term ‘eureka’ comes from the ancient Greek word 'heúrēka’, which literally means 'I have found it!’ It’s also closely linked to the word 'heuristic’, which refers to something that serves as an aid to learning, discovery or problem solving.
This artwork represents a true 'eureka!’ moment in art history: painted by Italian artist and mathematician Paolo Uccello, it is one of the earliest examples of the use of a vanishing point to achieve a sense of perspective in a painting. A vanishing point is the place at which receding parallel lines appear to converge.
Described as 'intoxicated’ by perspective, Uccello studied the concept carefully over many years. He applied his mathematical and analytical mind to his art in order to reconstruct objects in three-dimensional space.
This work, alongside many others that Uccello produced, became a model for other artists who sought to make their works more realistic and life-like. He inspired the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, and left an enduring legacy with this paintings.
See 'The Hunt in the Forest’ by Paolo Uccello (1397–1475) in our Italian Renaissance gallery.
World Oceans Day
Today is World Oceans day, honouring the salt waters of our world. It would take over 883 quadrillion copies of this party scene from our collection to cover the same area as the global ocean. Plenty of fish in that sea, and all of them in the party mood
This print is one of the many prints created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi in the 19th century which are now held in our collections.
World Environment Day
Today is World Environment Day!
Artists have been inspired by the beauty of the natural world for many centuries, and we have hundreds of artworks in our collections depicting landscapes all over the globe.
Here is one of our favourites by Japanese artist and printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858). Hiroshige often ‘broke’ the foreground of his prints by use of a dividing line, such as provided by a tree here, to frame the mountain in the background. Usually, this foreground detail is meant to attract the attention of the viewer, but not to be the subject of the print.
Pride Month
Happy Pride month, one and all! ️
This Pride Progress flag is made with a selection of works from our collection in celebration of LGBTQ+ life here in Oxfordshire and around the world.
Pride month serves to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and celebrates and highlight the history and achievements of LGBTQ+ communities worldwide. It falls in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred in the United States in 1969.
If you want to learn more about the LGBTQ+ stories represented in our collections, you can find the ‘Out in Oxford’ Trail, as well as a number of articles and stories on the 'stories’ section of our website. Find out more via the link in our bio.
Two Green Dishes
These ceramic dishes come from quite different parts of the world, but tell an interesting story of cross-cultural influence.
The first dish with trailed green decoration is from 10th-century Iraq, during the Abbasid Period which lasted from AD 750–1258. The Abbasid Period is one of the most prolific moments of ceramic production in the Islamic world, with lots of experimentation with glazes and surface decoration inspired by foreign trends as well as local demand.
Around the time this dish was made, Chinese ceramics had become all the rage with Muslim potters. Many began collecting and imitating the range of ceramic styles produced there: the choice of the green glaze we see on the Iraqi dish is reflected in the second dish, which was made in Tang Dynasty China centuries prior.
Walter Sickert
Walter Sickert, one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century, was born #onthisday in 1860. He introduced the subjects and techniques of the French Impressionists into English art.
We have a number of Sickert’s works in our collection, including this one, called ‘Ennui’. Painted in 1917–1918, it is his interpretation of the boredom of married life, and is the last of his five paintings of the subject. The models were Hubby, an old school-friend of Sickert’s who had fallen on hard times, and whom Sickert looked after; and Marie Hayes, who may have been Hubby’s wife, and who modelled for Sickert on several occasions. He puffs contentedly on a cigar, while she stares hopelessly at a glass case of stuffed birds.
It is thought that this painting is more successful than his original, as the brighter colours and patterns paired with a smaller canvas size contribute to a more claustrophobic atmosphere.
Virginia Woolf saw this work at an exhibition in London in 1933, and felt compelled to write about it. Listen to our podcast with Dame Hermione Lee, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, to find out more about the work and what Woolf made of it
ashmolean.org/professor-dame-hermione-lee-ennui-walter-richard-sickert
Wisteria Blossoms
It’s the time of year in Oxford when the wisteria are in full bloom, just like they are in this stunning ukiyo-e print by Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858).
This scene is the view from inside Kameidō Tenjin Shrine, which was famous for its wisteria blossom in Spring. Beyond the hanging twists of purple flowers, people walk across the shrine’s steeply arched ‘drum bridge’, with others sit beneath wisteria trellises in the background. If you look closely, you can also see three small swallows diving over the lake.
Have you spotted any of these gorgeous purple blooms this Spring? We’d love to see your pictures - share them with us below.
Woodblock print with bokashi (tonal gradation), 1856–1858.
