Ashmolean Museum

Ashmolean Museum
Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Ashmolean Museum
Established	1683
Location	Beaumont Street, Oxford, England
Type	University museum
Collection	Art, archaeology
Visitors	~1 million annually
Director	Alexander Sturgis
Owner	University of Oxford
Network	Oxford University Museums

Ashmolean Museum. It is the University of Oxford's museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683, making it the first university museum in the world and Britain's first public museum. Its collections span from prehistoric artefacts to contemporary art, housed in a significant building on Beaumont Street. The museum serves as a major centre for research and public education, attracting scholars and visitors from across the globe.

History

The museum's origins trace back to the cabinet of curiosities assembled by the gardeners and collectors John Tradescant the Elder and John Tradescant the Younger. This collection was inherited by Elias Ashmole, who subsequently donated it to the University of Oxford in 1677, with the stipulation that a suitable building be constructed. The original Ashmolean building, now housing the Museum of the History of Science, opened on Broad Street in 1683. A pivotal moment in its early history was the appointment of Robert Plot as its first keeper. In the 19th century, under the keepership of John Henry Parker, the museum's archaeological focus intensified, leading to the need for larger premises. The collections were moved in 1894 to the present building, designed by Charles Robert Cockerell, which was created by combining the older University Galleries with new construction.

Collections

The museum's encyclopaedic holdings are organized across several key departments. The Department of Antiquities includes major collections of Egyptian and Nubian mummies, Greek and Roman statuary, and the notable Alfred Jewel. The Department of Eastern Art boasts world-renowned collections of Chinese ceramics, Japanese prints, and Islamic art, including pottery from Samarra. The Department of Western Art holds important works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Paolo Uccello, and John Constable, alongside a superb collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. The Department of Coins and Medals contains one of the world's finest numismatic collections, with specimens from Ancient Greece to modern Britain.

Building and architecture

The current building on Beaumont Street is a landmark of Neoclassical design by Charles Robert Cockerell, completed in 1845. It was originally built as the University Galleries to house the university's art collections. The 1894 merger with the Ashmolean collections required internal modifications, overseen by architect Thomas Graham Jackson. A major £61 million redevelopment, led by architect Rick Mather, was completed in 2009. This project dramatically expanded the gallery space, created a new education centre, and added a rooftop restaurant. The central atrium now features a grand staircase linking the collections thematically across floors.

Notable acquisitions and exhibitions

Among its most famous objects are the Alfred Jewel, a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon artefact, the Parian Marble chronicle, and the Minoan finds from the Palace of Knossos excavated by Sir Arthur Evans. The museum holds the great collection of drawings by Michelangelo and Raphael formed by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Notable modern acquisitions include the Mackay Emerald and the Pissarro painting *Boulevard Montmartre*. It has hosted landmark exhibitions such as *The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy* and *Discovering Tutankhamun*, which drew on its own extensive archives from the Egypt Exploration Society.

Governance and public engagement

The museum is an integral part of the University of Oxford, governed by a board of visitors and administered by the Ashmolean's own director, currently Alexander Sturgis. It works closely with other Oxford University Museums, including the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum. Public engagement is central to its mission, achieved through a busy programme of lectures, family workshops, and academic conferences. It also collaborates on international projects with institutions like the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.