3 October 2017, for immediate release:
The world’s first public museum, the Ashmoleanin Oxford, is celebrating a new permanent gallerycalled the ‘Ashmolean Story’ which opens today.The gallery marks the 400th anniversary of the birthof the museum’s founder, Elias Ashmole (1617–92)who gave his collection to the University of Oxfordin 1677 and founded the Ashmolean in 1683. Ondisplay are many of the original artefacts, specimensand curiosities that fascinated museum visitors of theseventeenth century.
Elias Ashmole was a leading intellectual of his daywho studied at Oxford and was elected a foundingFellow of the Royal Society in London in 1661. Atrue Enlightenment polymath, he was interestedin everything from natural history, medicine andmathematics, to alchemy, astrology and magic - allpopular disciplines in the seventeenth-century. Infounding a new public museum Ashmole’s vision wasto create a centre for practical research and the advancement of knowledge of the natural world which, in his own words,‘is very necessary to humaine Life, health, & the conveniences thereof.’ He recommended that the Keeper (head) of themuseum should be Oxford’s Professor of Chemistry and the first incumbent was Dr Robert Plot, a noted scientist andnaturalist.
Evoking the style and atmosphere of the original museum, the new gallery displays objects related to scientific enquiry andthe quest for knowledge that would have captivated visitors in 1680s Oxford. These include a crystal ball probably used byAshmole for ‘crystal-gazing’ and making predictions; medical equipment and samples like kidney stones, apothecary jarsand powders; and an array of natural history specimens of exotic animals, fish and birds. One such specimen that clearlyconfused Plot was a ‘Gigantick thigh-bone’. He recognized that it was a real bone but could not identify the species dueto its enormous size and concluded that it must have been the remains of a giant man or woman. Now known to be part ofa femur of a large meat-eating dinosaur, Plot’s illustration was nonetheless the first publication of a dinosaur bone. Plot’stenure at the Ashmolean came to end in 1689/90 when he resigned both his university posts citing an insufficient salary.
Ashmole’s gift to the University included his own extensive collection of books, manuscripts,coins, medals and otherantiquities. It also included the celebrated Tradescant family collection of ‘Rarities’ that had been gifted to Ashmole by JohnTradescant the younger. In 1683 Ashmole transferred everything to Oxford from London, sending it by barge in twentysixlarge chests. Ashmole specified that the new museum should be housed in a building designed to promote scientificpractice. In the original Ashmolean in Broad Street, Oxford, there was a repository for the collections on the first floor;a lecture theatre for natural history on the ground floor; and in the basem*nt was a state-of-the-art chemical laboratoryand anatomy room. He also provided statutes of governance to guide the museum in achieving its aims, and this originalhandwritten document is on display in the new gallery. The eighteen statutes include the establishment of a board ofgovernors, an annual inspection and audit, and the cataloguing of all objects that came into the collection. They alsoestablished procedures for the care and security of objects, the admission of visitors and museum finances – a model formodern museums and galleries the world over.
While the collections have grown and shifted focus to art and archaeology, the purpose of the Ashmolean is little changedtoday. The museum’s main aim remains the preservation and display of the collections for enjoyment and the advancementof knowledge. The development of the new gallery has allowed the redisplay of important pieces such as Guy Fawkes’lantern – a favourite of museum visitors. It has also created space to bring out of storage works such as Ashmole’s portraitcollection of scholars and scientists which includes the famous painting of Elizabethan astrologer and mathematician, JohnDee.
The gallery development has also provided staff the opportunity to research and conserve objects from the foundingcollection. One of the most significant pieces that has been redisplayed is Powhatan’s Mantle. Made of four white-taileddeer hides sewn together and decorated with shells, this huge and fragile object is traditionally linked to Powhatan, thefather of Pocahontas and chief of the Indigenous North American Powhatan people who lived in Virginia, the area settledby the English in the 1600s. The museum’s conservation team has investigated the mantle with the help of the Factum ArteFoundation using specialized photography and imaging. Archival research into the mantle indicates that it was probablydisplayed vertically on the wall from the seventeenth century. The loss of shells around the lower border suggests thatpeople were able to touch it and may have taken shells as souvenirs of their visit.
Today, the mantle has proved equally popular. The Ashmolean’s 2017 annual appeal has asked members of the public tosupport a new high-tech display case for the iconic object. Donors to the appeal have been offered the chance to havetheir name or a dedication inscribed on the case and more than 200 people have made donations totalling nearly £52,000.Miss Laura Wilson who made a dedication for her grandmother, says: ‘As soon as I saw the Ashmolean Birthday Appealfor the preservation of Powhatan’s Mantle, I knew I had to donate. When I was a little girl, my grandmother, MargaretPinsent, would often take me to the museum to explore and we would always look at the Mantle – we were in awe of itshistorical significance. A quarter of a century later and I am still enchanted by this marvelous object and indebted to mygrandma for her investment in my education. I cannot wait to see the Mantle in the new gallery and to enjoy it for manyyears to come.’
In addition to the public appeal, the new gallery has been made possible by a generous donation from Mr Stephen Stow,Fellow of the Ashmolean; a major grant from the Linbury Trust; and a £110,000 grant from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and GalleriesImprovementFund.
Dr Xa Sturgis, Director of the museum, says: ‘Thanks to the generosity of members of the public, institutional supportand private donors, we have been able to mark Elias Ashmole’s 400th birthday with this new gallery. It is a celebration ofAshmole’s vision and of the role the Ashmolean has played in the development of museums and galleries in this countryand across the world.’
John Glen MP, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, says: ‘The Ashmolean Museum’s new gallery will mark 400years since the birth of its founder Elias Ashmole and government is proud to support this fantastic space with £110,000from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund. The public support for this project shows how well-lovedthe museum is and I wish all at the Ashmolean well for this exciting new chapter in its illustrious history.’
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, says: ‘There seems to be an increased interest in thecollectors and stories behind the UK’s great museums – and the Ashmolean has a fascinating story to tell. Ashmole’s visionof a place of curiosity which fuels a quest for knowledge is still being realised. We hope there will be many more little LauraWilsons visiting with their grandmothers and enjoying the delights this new gallery has to offer. The Wolfson Foundation isa charity supporting and promoting excellence, and we are delighted to be funding this through the DCMS/Wolfson Fund– which sends a strong message about the importance of shared public and charitable funding of these great collections.’
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FURTHER INFORMATION
Claire Parris, Press Officer
claire.parris@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
T+44 (0)1865 278 178 | M+44 (0)7833 384 512
www.ashmolean.org/press | @AshmoleanPress
PRESS IMAGES
Images for editorial use are available to download here
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Linbury Trust
Founded in 1973 by Lord and Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover, the Linbury Trust makes grants to charities andtowards charitable causes across a broad range of categories within the Arts, Education, Environment, Medical,Museums & Heritage, Overseas, and Social Welfare. In Oxford, Linbury has been a major supporter of the AshmoleanMuseum; the Saïd Business School; Worcester College; and the Bodleian. Elsewhere the Linbury name is particularlyassociated with the Linbury Theatre (Royal Opera House), the Linbury Galleries (Tate Britain), the Linbury Gallery(Museum of London), and the Linbury Prize for Stage Design.
The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund
The fund aims to provide capital funding for museums and galleries across England to deliver projects in one or anumber of the following key areas:
• Renovation and improvement of the display of exhibits in permanent galleries and exhibition spaces;
• Improvements to public spaces and access to the collection;
• Physical improvements to access and facilities for disabled visitors;
• Physical improvements to collection interpretation;
• Improvements to environmental controls in public access spaces and galleries.
Further information|Twitter: @DMCS | Facebook: @DCMSgovuk
The Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity that supports and promotes excellence in the fields of science,health, education and the arts and humanities. It has awarded over £800 million (£1.7 billion in real terms) to some10,000 projects across the UK, all on the basis of expert peer review. Established in 1955, the Wolfson Foundationcelebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015.
Further information | Twitter: @Wolfsonfdn | Facebook: @WolfsonFoundation
