Ashmolean Museum main entrance.

The Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology) on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum. Its first building is sometimes attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, though there is no good evidence for this claim, and was built in 1678–1683 to house the collection or cabinet of curiosities Elias Ashmole gave Oxford University in 1677 — works he had collected himself as well as those he had acquired from the gardeners, travellers and collectors John Tradescant the elder and his son of the same name. The collection included antique coins, books, engravings, geological specimens, and zoological specimens — one of which was the stuffed body of the last Dodo ever seen in Europe, but by 1755 it was so moth-eaten it was destroyed, except for its head and one claw. The museum opened on 6 June 1683, with naturalist Robert Plot as the first keeper. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The Ashmolean Museum main entrance in Beaumont Street. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... Sir Christopher Wren, (20 October 1632–25 February 1723) was a 17th century English designer, astronomer, geometrician, and the greatest English architect of his time. ... Events August 10 - Treaty of Nijmegen ends the Dutch War. ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... For the 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, see The Cabinet of Curiosities Musei Wormiani Historia, the frontispiece from the Museum Wormianum depicting Ole Worms cabinet of curiosities. ... Elias Ashmole by an unknown hand (detail), c. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... 1677 (MDCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... John Tradescant the elder (ca 1570s – 15/16 April, 1638), father of John Tradescant the younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller, probably born in Suffolk, England. ... John Tradescant the younger Ester, his second wife John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662), son of John Tradescant the elder, was a botanist and gardener, born in Meopham, Kent. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Former range (in red) Synonyms Struthio cucullatus Linnaeus, 1758 Didus ineptus Linnaeus 1766 Probably the earliest accurate drawings of a dodo (1601–1603). ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now often viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines of integrative organismal biology. ... Robert Plot (Borden, Kent, England, 1640 December 13 – Borden, 1696 April 30), was a British naturalist, first Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University and the first keeper of the Ashmolean Museum. ...

After the various specimens had been moved into new museums, the "Old Ashmolean" building on Broad Street was used as office space for the Oxford English Dictionary staff. Since 1935, the building has been established as the Museum of the History of Science, with exhibitions including the scientific instruments given to Oxford University by Lewis Evans (1853–1930), amongst them the world's largest collection of astrolabes. The Old Ashmolean Building as it stands today The Museum of the History of Science, located in Broad Street, Oxford, is home to a collection of historic scientific instruments and is the worlds oldest surviving purpose-built museum building. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... Museum, Theatre and Printing House. ... Lewis Evans (1853–1930), British businessman and scientific instrument collector. ... A 16th century astrolabe. ...

The present building dates from 1845. It was designed by Charles Cockerell in a classical style and stands on Beaumont Street. One wing of the building is occupied by the Taylor Institution, the modern languages faculty of the university. The main museum contains the original collections of Elias Ashmole and John Tradescant (father and son), as well as huge collections of archaeology specimens and fine art. It has one of the best collections of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, majolica pottery and English silver. The archaeology department includes the bequest of Arthur Evans and so has an excellent collection of Greek and Minoan pottery. The department also has an extensive collection of antiquities from Ancient Egypt and the Sudan, and the museum hosts the Griffith Institute for the advancement of Egyptology. 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The main entrance to the Fitzwilliam Museum. ... Classicism door in Olomouc, The Czech Republic Teatr Wielki in Warsaw Church La Madeleine in Paris Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicist seeks to emulate. ... The Taylor Institution is Oxford Universitys centre for the study of modern European languages and literatures. ... Elias Ashmole by an unknown hand (detail), c. ... John Tradescant the elder (ca 1570s – 15/16 April, 1638), father of John Tradescant the younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller, probably born in Suffolk, England. ... John Tradescant the younger Ester, his second wife John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662), son of John Tradescant the elder, was a botanist and gardener, born in Meopham, Kent. ... This July 2007 does not cite any references or sources. ... The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets and critics, founded in 1848 by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt. ... Majolica is earthenware with a white tin glaze, decorated by applying colorants on the raw glazed surface. ... Sir Arthur John Evans (July 8, 1851 – July 11, 1941) was an English archaeologist. ... The Minoan Civilisation was a pre-Hellenic Bronze Age civilization which arose on Crete, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. ... Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... The Griffith Institute is an institution based in the Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford for the advancement of Egyptology as a discipline. ...

The museum is used as a set for the Inspector Morse episode "The Wolvercote Tongue". This is a list of episodes of the Inspector Morse British television series produced between 1987 and 2000. ... The ruin of Godstow Nunnery. ...

The interior of the Ashmolean has been extensively modernised in recent years and now includes a restaurant and large gift shop. The Sackler Library, incorporating the older library collections of the Ashmolean, opened in 2001 and has allowed an expansion of the book collection, which concentrates on classical civilization, archaeology and art history. The Sackler Library holds a large portion of the classical, art history, and archaeological works belonging to the University of Oxford. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Between 2006 and 2008, the museum is in a process of extensive rebuilding and expansion to the designs of architect Rick Mather, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. As a consequence some of the galleries have been closed, though most of the highlights are still on show. The rebuilding will result in five floors instead of three, with a doubling of the display space as well as new conservation studios and an education centre. As of 2007 most of the exterior cleaning of the building to remove soot has been completed, and the construction work in the building is well under way. A play here! sign outside a newsagent, incorporating the National Lotterys logo of a stylised hand with crossed fingers. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Collections

The Alfred Jewel in the Ashmolean Museum.

Highlights of the collection include: alfred jewel, bodleian, oxford theres another view of the alfred jewel (from a slightly different angle) on the cover of the book that is Image:Asser book. ... alfred jewel, bodleian, oxford theres another view of the alfred jewel (from a slightly different angle) on the cover of the book that is Image:Asser book. ... The Alfred Jewel is a Saxon ornament of unknown purpose. ...

• The Alfred Jewel
• Drawings by Michaelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci
• Watercolours and paintings by Turner
• Paintings by Paolo Uccello, Piero di Cosimo, John Constable, Claude Lorraine, and Pablo Picasso
• Arab ceremonial dress owned by Lawrence of Arabia
• A death mask of Oliver Cromwell
• The collection of Posie rings that supposedly inspired the One Ring in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
• The Parian Marble, the earliest extant example of a Greek chronological table
• The ceremonial cloak of Chief Powhatan
• The lantern Gunpowder Plot conspiracist Guy Fawkes carried in 1605
• The Messiah Stradivarius, a violin made by Antonio Stradivari
• The Minoan collection of Arthur Evans, the biggest outside Crete

On 31 December 1999 (New Year's Eve), thieves used scaffolding on an adjoining building to climb onto the roof of the Ashmolean to break through a skylight, stealing a painting by Cézanne. As the thieves ignored other works in the same room and it has not been offered for sale, it is speculated that this was a case of an artwork stolen to order. The Alfred Jewel is a Saxon ornament of unknown purpose. ... Michelangelo (full name Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni) (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) was a Renaissance sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. ... This page is about the artist. ... The Mona Lisa Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer. ... Joseph Mallord William Turner (April 23, 1775 (exact date disputed) – December 19, 1851) was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker, whose style can be said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism. ... Paolo Uccello (born Paolo di Dono, 1397 – December 10, 1475) was an Italian painter who was notable for his pioneering work on visual perspective in art. ... Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci (c. ... A self portrait by John Constable John Constable (11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English Romantic painter. ... Seaport by Claude Lorrain Claude Lorrain (Lorraine, c1604 - Rome, November 23, 1682) was a French painter considered to be one of the greatest landscape painters. ... Pablo Ruiz Picasso (October 25, 1881 – April 8, 1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor. ... Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935), also known as Lawrence of Arabia, and (apparently, among his Arab allies) Aurens or El Aurens, became famous for his role as a British liaison officer during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918. ... Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England, Scotland and Ireland into a republican Commonwealth and for the brutal war exercised in his conquest of Ireland. ... Posie rings (sometimes spelled poesy rings) are finger rings with short inscriptions on their outer surfaces. ... The One Ring, also known as the Ruling Ring, The Doom of Man, the Great Ring of Power, The Ring, or Isildurs Bane, is an artifact from J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional Middle-earth universe. ... John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English philologist, writer and university professor, best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. ... The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by the English academic J. R. R. Tolkien. ... The Parian Marble or Parian Chronicle is a Greek chronological table, covering the years from 1581BC to 264BC. It is currently broken into two fragments: The larger fragment was brought to the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford in 1627, where it currently resides. ... Chief Powhatan (detail of map published by John Smith (1612) Chief Powhatan ( 1547— 1618) , whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh or (in seventeenth century English spelling) Wahunsunacock, was the leader of the Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten), a powerful tribe of Native Americans, speaking an Algonquian language, who lived in... Stone lantern in a Chinese Garden A chōchin invites customers into an okonomiyaki restaurant in Japan A lantern is a portable lighting device used to illuminate broad areas. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 1605 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Messiah Strad (also known as Le Messie) is a violin made by luthier Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy in 1716. ... Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument, in a Romantic 19th-century print. ... The Minoan Civilisation was a pre-Hellenic Bronze Age civilization which arose on Crete, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. ... Sir Arthur John Evans (July 8, 1851 – July 11, 1941) was an English archaeologist. ... For the famous World War II battle, see: Battle of Crete For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Vase of Flowers (1876) Oil on canvas Paul Cézanne (January 19, 1839 – October 22, 1906) was a French painter who represents the bridge from impressionism to cubism. ...

Directors and Keepers

• Christopher Brown 1998-
• Christopher White -1997
• Ian Robertson 1972-
• Robert Hamilton 1962-1972
• K T Parker 1945-1962
• Edward Thurlow Leeds 1928-1945
• David George Hogarth 1909-1927
• Sir Arthur Evans 1884-1908
• Philip Duncan 1829-
• John Shute Duncan 1823-1829
• William Huddersford 1755-1772
• George Huddersford 1732-1755
• John Whiteside 1714-1729
• David Parry 1709-1714
• Edward Lhuyd 1691-1709
• Robert Plot 1683-1691

Ian Robertson is the name of: Ian Robertson (Australian rules footballer), a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL and currently a football commentator Ian Robertson, tour manager to Oasis. ... Robert Hamilton (June 11, 1743 - 1829), Scottish economist and mathematician, was born at Pilrig, Edinburgh. ... David George Hogarth (born May 23, 1862 in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire; died November 6, 1927 in Oxford) was an English archaeologist and scholar, associated with T. E. Lawrence and Arthur Evans. ... For Arthur Evans, the recipient of the Victoria Cross, see Arthur Evans (VC) Sir Arthur John Evans (July 8, 1851 - July 11, 1941), brought into the light of day the civilization he dubbed Minoan, which had been a dim mythic memory. ... Philip Duncan is a Pentecostal Christian pastor in the Assemblies of God. ... John Whiteside (1773 - July 28, 1830) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. ... Edward Llwyd (also spelt Lhuyd) ( 1660 - June 30, 1709) was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. ... Robert Plot (Borden, Kent, England, 1640 December 13 – Borden, 1696 April 30), was a British naturalist, first Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University and the first keeper of the Ashmolean Museum. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ashmolean Museum

• Ashmolean Museum website
• Sackler Library
• The Griffith Institute
• Virtual Tour of the Ashmolean Museum, photography from 2003
• Powhatan's Mantle — pictures, description & history

Coordinates: 51°45′19.28″N, 1°15′36.22″W Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...