Ashmolean Museum
@AshmoleanMuseum
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World famous collections, from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures & across time. Open every day 10am–5pm.
Oxford, UK
Joined May 2010
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📣 Bruegel to Rubens: Great Flemish Drawings is NOW OPEN! Book now:
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It's
#BlackCatDay
! Folklore surrounding black cats varies, with some cultures believing they are good luck and others perceiving them as bad omens of misfortune and even death. Do you believe that black cats are good or bad luck? 🐾
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Today's
#IsolationCreations
inspiration is one of the world's earliest piggy banks! This small terracotta sculpture of a pig is from 15th-century Java, and objects of its kind are extremely rare as they normally would have been smashed in order to access the savings
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Today is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere! This painting by William Turner of Oxford features Stone Henge, where the summer solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years
#SummerSolstice
☀️
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The ancient city of Ephesus adopted the bee as one of its coin designs. 🐝
It was home to the temple of Artemis, goddess of hunting, wilderness & wild animals. The temple's high priest was known as the ‘king bee’ & priestesses as ‘melissae’ (honey bees).
#WorldBeeDay
🐝
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Little Egyptian faience model of a hedgehog from a tomb at Abydos, made around 1,500–1,300 BC
#EarthDay
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Today is
#WorldSleepDay
.
This sleeping cat was painted by Hara Zaimei (1778 - 1884) between 1800 and 1844. 🐈💤
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"I hope this email finds you well."
How the email found me:
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@TheMERL
If we may, MERL, here is an exceedingly round pig to accompany your fine, oblong pig.
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Happy
#SuperBowlSunday
! While we don't have any American footballs in our collection, we do have plenty of
#SuperBowls
for you to feast your eyes on 🥣 👀 These bowls are from 11th-14th century Iran
#Superbowl
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This crouching cat dates back to c.1667 and was produced by Cornelis II Visscher (1628 - 1658). Looking closely at the bottom left corner and you'll spot a terrified mouse trying to sneak past... 🐱 🐭
🔎 WA1925.345.143
@CatsOfYore
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This tiny mouse is a netsuke.
Until the 19th century Japanese citizens wore a kimono, fastened by an obi sash. Small items were hung from the sash by a silk cord. The cord was threaded through a bead, then tucked behind the kimono sash and secured with a toggle called a netsuke.
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Julius Caesar was assassinated
#onthisday
, the
#IdesofMarch
, in 44 BC following a conspiracy 🗡️ His death was a turning point in Roman history which ultimately led to the rise of the Roman Empire and its first Emperor, Augustus
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Happy
#ChineseNewYear
#YearofthePig
! 🐖 This small terracotta sculpture of a pig is from 15th-century Java, and was actually used as a piggy bank. Objects if this kind are extremely rare as they would normally have been smashed in order to access the savings 💰
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It's
#INTERNATIONALCATDAY
! Go on then, show us your cat photos.
This 1657 engraving by Cornelis Visscher features a large snoozing cat (and a cheeky little mouse!)
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@YorkshireMuseum
In a lot of ways, we wish we could un-see this entire thread. And we most definitely cannot beat the hair bun. But we'll just leave this here...
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Little Egyptian faience model of a hedgehog from a tomb at Abydos, made around 1,500–1,300 BC
#WorldAnimalDay
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Detail of a vase with winter landscape, Miyagawa Kōzan,
#Japan
, 1910. Porcelain, thrown with underglaze painting in blue
#WinterSolstice
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Happy
#InternationalBatNight
! This is a little Japanese
#bat
ojime bead – a type of cord fastener – made in the late 19th century Japan
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Happy
#EarthDay
! This little Egyptian faience model of a hedgehog comes from a tomb at Abydos, made around 1,500–1,300 BC
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Simply because it's Friday morning, here is a little 19th century fluff ball!
This study of a cat was produced by Abraham Cooper (1787 - 1868) and dates to 1817.
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Flowers & insects come to life in an oil on copper by Flemish artist Jan van Kassel the Elder (1626-1679) 🌺🐚🐝
#WorldWildlifeDay
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It's...hedgehog week? And no one told us?! 🦔
At this risk of sharing one of our favourite objects one too many times, may we present (again) our little blue faience hedgehog. It comes from Abydos, Ancient Egypt and dates back to 1,500–1,300 BC.
#hedgehogweek
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As long as the
#Superbowl
is happening, we WILL use it as an opportunity to share some of our favourite 'super bowls' with you. Here are a few for you to feast your eyes on 🥣👀
These bowls are from 11th-14th century Iran
#SuperBowl2021
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This vase featuring a cool winter landscape is by Japanese artist Miyagawa Kōzan, 1910. It's made from porcelain thrown with underglaze painting in blue
#MuseumsUnlocked
#Wintertime
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Happy
#InternationalCatDay
! This is a 1657 engraving by Cornelis Visscher of a large snoozing cat (and a cheeky little mouse!)
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Happy Birthday
@bodleianlibs
! The Bodleian Library opened to the public
#onthisday
in 1602 and has since collected more than 13 million books, including the Magna Carta and J.R.R. Tolkien’s archive. This is the Duke Humfrey's library - one of the reading rooms at the Bodleian 📚
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"I have tried … to paint trees as tho’ they were human beings" - Wittenham Clumps by Paul Nash, who was born
#onthisday
in 1889.
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Happy
#MusMeme
day! Have you ever created any memes with objects in our collections? If so, be sure to share them with us today. Sculpture from Italy c. 1518
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This terracotta die comes from the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, one of the first urban centres in human history. Gaming with dice has been a popular pastime in India for millennia, with this object dating back to 2500���1900 BC. See it in Gallery 12
#MuseumWeek
#PlayMW
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We're not sure who needs to see this today, but here is a tiny teapot. It's only 1.6 cm tall.
This object is a Japanese ojime or 'cord fastener' - a bead used to help secure inrō carrying cases to traditional kimono 👘
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Look closely at this coin and you'll see the Minotaur lurking at the centre of his labyrinth.
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Happy
#WorldWildlifeDay
! Here is Flemish painter Jan van Kessel I's Flowers and Insects brought to life for the occasion 🐛🐞🦋🐚🍃
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Happy
#WorldWildlifeDay
! Here is Flemish painter Jan van Kessel I's Flowers and Insects brought to life for the occasion. What is your favourite animal in our collection?
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Happy 416th Birthday to the
@bodleianlibs
! 🎂 🎉 📚 Officially opened to the public
#onthisday
in 1602, the libraries have since collected over 13 million books and hold treasures such as Magna Carta and J.R.R. Tolkien’s archive.
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Happy
#WorldWildlifeDay
! Here is Flemish painter Jan van Kessel I's Flowers and Insects brought to life for the occasion. What is your favourite animal in our collection?
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Today is
#BatAppreciationDay
! Here is an ojime (or chord fastener) in the form of a bat from late 19th-century Japan
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It is now thought that the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD began on 24 October, almost 2,000 years ago
#onthisday
. Prior to the eruption Vesuvius was over 2,000 ft taller and covered in vegetation and vineyards, as depicted here in this fresco
#LastSupperinPompeii
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Happy birthday, Bodley! Thomas Bodley, founder of the
@BodleianLibs
, the main
@UniofOxford
research library, was born
#onthisday
in 1545. This image shows the interior of Duke Humfrey's library, one of the reading rooms in the Bodleian 📚
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Today is Bat Appreciation Day! There are over 1,400 species of bats in the world, and more are still being discovered. Bats account for around 20% of all mammal species worldwide.
🦇 Ojime bead in the form of a bat, Japan, late 19th century. 2.3cm tall. EA1956.3749
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"I have tried … to paint trees as tho’ they were human beings" – Wittenham Clumps by Paul Nash, who was born
#onthisday
in 1889
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A
#SuperbOwl
drawn by Pre-Raphaelite Sir Edward Burne-Jones in a letter he wrote & illustrated around 1893-8
#SuperbOwlSunday
🦉
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Happy Friday! These women are tearing up the dance floor in honour of the goddess Hathor c. 1600 BC. Wall painting from a Theban tomb, Egypt
#FridayFeeling
🕺
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Happy
#ChineseNewYear
! This dog is scratching his ear on a 2,500 year old Athenian red-figure cup by the Euergides Painter
#YearOfTheDog
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Thank you for your comments on this thread. Vernon Lee described herself as a woman and she was a lesbian. Erasing any person's identity was not our intention. We are open to criticism and feedback and will discuss it internally.
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This beautiful gilt-brass cased clock-watch, complete with lunar wheel-chart, sundials, and even an alarm, comes in the shape of a small book. It was made by Hans Koch c. 1580 in Munich. You can see this object in Gallery 55 on the 2nd floor.
#BookLoversDay
📚
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This miniature book is less than 4cm tall and not even 3cm wide. Let's take a look inside... just bear with us a moment while we find our eyeglasses.
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#AshmoleanAdvent
Day 3: Painted by Japanese artist Mori Shūhō, this small bear looks directly out at the viewer while it sits uneasily on a ledge amid the snowflakes. Shūhō was a member of the Mori School of artists who specialised in depictions of animals
#AdventCalendar
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While we're isolating to stop the spread of
#COVID19
, let's channel our creativity with some
#IsolationCreations
. We'll post an object each day, and we want to see your creative responses (drawing, poetry, dancing, baking - you name it)! Starting with this little lion...
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The cat appreciation continues with this wonderful photograph of Gustav Klimt holding a cat. It was taken by Moritz Nähr in 1912.
#InternationalCatDay
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The person who made this Edwardian curse poppet stole the cloth from the wardrobe of the well-to-do lady in Devon it was made to represent, then skewered it to complete a murderous spell. See it & other intriguing objects in
#SpellboundExhibition
from 31 Aug. Image ©
@WitchMuseum
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It's
#Earthday
! For today's
#IsolationCreations
, we want to see your creations inspired by this little earthling 🦔This Egyptian faience model of a hedgehog was found in a tomb at Abydos, and was made around 1,500–1,300 BC
#ArtHelps
#MuseumsfromHome
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"Autumn is a second Spring when every leaf is a flower" – Albert Camus. This detail from a screen with autumn and winter flowers is by the samuirai artist Watanabe Shikō (1683–1755)
#autumnequinox
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#AshmoleanAdvent
Day 3 - A Black Bear 🐻 ❄️
This small bear, sitting uneasily on a ledge surrounded by snowflakes was painted by Japanese artist Mori Shūhō. Shūhō was a member of the Mori School of artists who specialised in depictions of animals.
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Happy
#InternationalDanceDay
! These women are throwing shapes in honour of the goddess Hathor c. 1600 BC. The fragment of wallpainting is from 'The Tomb of the Dancers' in Western Thebes, Egypt.
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Happy
#NationalDogDay
! Here is a 2,500 year old dog scratching his ear, from an Athenian red-figure cup by the Euergides Painter 🐶
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#AshmoleanAdvent
Day 1: Our first advent calendar treat is a woodblock print by Japanese master printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige. Here, Hiroshige has skilfully depicted the chilly silence of a winter afternoon, using unprinted white space to evoke snow
#AdventCalendar
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Happy
#BlackCatDay
! This is a bronze statue of the cat-goddess Bastet, daughter of Re, made 715-343 BC in Egypt 🐾
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Britain's first museum is 335 years old today! On 24 May 1683 the doors of the Ashmolean Museum were officially opened to the public. Here it is in the glorious Spring sunshine
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Today is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere! This painting by William Turner of Oxford features Stone Henge, where the summer solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years
#SummerSolstice
☀️
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Day 102 of
#MuseumsUnlocked
is all about cats🐈
This detail of a cat enjoying a bit of fish is from a copy of an ancient Egyptian wall painting, by Nina de Garis Davies. The original was found in the private tomb 52 of Nakht, a high ranking official of the 18th Dynasty.
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This little Egyptian faience model of a hedgehog is from a tomb at Abydos, and was made around 1,500–1,300 BCE. Hedgehogs had a favourable reputation in ancient Egypt, and were often seen as a symbol of rebirth and renewal of life. (1/2)
#BlueMonday
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Tonight is not just any night. It's
#InternationalBatNight
! This is a little Japanese
#bat
ojime bead – a type of cord fastener – made in the late 19th century Japan
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These little sparrows are a detail of a two-fold painted and embroidered screen by Takeuchi Seihō, 1910–1920. Seihō was a founder of the 'nihonga' genre of painting, in which artworks were created in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions
#NationalBirdDay
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Today is the
#WinterSolstice
, marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. This winter landscape is by Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin, c. 1861–1939
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Happy Valentine's Day! 💐💕These needlework strawberries are tiny, measuring just 7cm wide! They are also slightly mysterious. Although it's possible that they could be 17th century 'favours' or 'love tokens', the stitching technique suggests they could've been made in 19th…
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Today is
#InternationalArchaeologyDay
! This is the Abingdon Sword, c. 850 - 1066 AD, discovered by Sir John Evans. See it in Gallery 41 🗡️
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Happy
#BoxingDay
! This Museum accounts book shows that, in 1704, an employee was fined one shilling for being 'dead drunk' on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and neglecting to light the candles. We hope your Christmas celebrations were as merry as his! 🍾
#Christmas
#BoxingDay
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Today, we give you what is possibly the most wonderful purse of all time. Although this one was used to hold perfume sachets and herbs, rather than coins. Called 'sweet bags', these were used to ward off the less pleasant smells of daily life in 16th and 17th-century England 🐸
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Cheers 🍻 Today is
#InternationalBeerDay
! This ancient Egyptian model brewery was made for a tomb so that production of beer could continue in the afterlife
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Today is the final day of
#Hedgehog
week, so here is another one of our favourite hedgehogs from our collection. It's from ancient Egypt c. 1500 BC, where hedgehogs are thought to have symbolised rebirth 🦔
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Engraving by Cornelis Visscher, 1657, of a large snoozing cat (and a cheeky little mouse!)
#NationalPetDay
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Little Egyptian faience model of a hedgehog from a tomb at Abydos, made around 1,500–1,300 BC
#EarthDay
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Flowers & insects come to life in an oil on copper by Flemish artist Jan van Kassel the Elder (1626-1679) 🌺🐚🐝
#NationalWildlifeDay
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Happy
#BlackCatDay
! This is a bronze statue of the cat-goddess Bastet, daughter of Re, made 715-343 BC in Egypt 🐾
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Today is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere! This painting by William Turner of Oxford features Stone Henge, where the summer solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years
#SummerSolstice
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J.R.R. Tolkien wrote 'The Hobbit' and the first two volumes of 'The Lord of the Rings' whilst living and teaching in Oxford, and much of the landscape around the city provided inspiration for the Shire and Hobbiton, including the Cherwell River. William Turner, 1851
#HobbitDay
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Seated Shepherd with Cows and Sheep in a Meadow.
And Bernie.
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A seal with a pair of bats for
#BatAppreciationDay
! This seal is made of carved ivory and dates back to early 20th-century China
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A photograph of Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric hill figure in Oxfordshire, taken in 1935 by Major George Allen. Allen flew extensively across southern England taking aerial photographs between 1933 and 1939
#WorldPhotoDay
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Snow, rain and slush, the cold weather is persisting here in Oxford. So, here's an essential wintery image - the most adorable little bear in the snow. This painting is by Japanese artist Mori Shūhō (1728–1813) and dates to 1799.
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Happy
#BoxingDay
! This Museum accounts book shows that in 1704, an Ashmolean employee was fined one shilling for being 'dead drunk' on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and neglecting to light the candles. We hope your Christmas celebrations were as merry as his! 🍾
#BoxingDay
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“It is hard to be brave, when you’re only a very small animal.” – A.A. Milne
#WinnieThePoohDay
Black Bear Cub in Snow, a 1799 ink and colour painting on silk by Mori Shûhô (1738–1823)
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Our objects of the month are these mysterious carved stone balls from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age. We still aren't sure what they were used for, but theories include divination, weaponry or even the beginning of abstract thought. See them in Dimensions until 9 Jun
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Today is the
#SpringEquinox
meaning winter is officially behind us! Detail from Plum Blossom and Praying Mantis. Fen Chen c. 1881, ink and colour on paper, China
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We're 338 years old today! 🎂
Make our day by sharing your favourite Ashmolean stories, pictures, memories, exhibitions and objects here ⬇️
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Flowers & insects, an oil on copper by Flemish artist Jan van Kassel the Elder (1626-1679)
#WorldWildlifeDay
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Rejoicing at the end of
#Ramadan
– a 19th-century gouache painting from India
#EidMubarak
#Eid
#EidulFitr
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John Ruskin believed the colours of the natural world could inspire and guide artists who should replicate them as truthfully as possible.
Ruskin likely produced this bright, detailed watercolour study of a kingfisher in October of 1871. He thought that kingfishers were the…
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Happy
#SuperBowlSunday
! While we don't have any American footballs in our collection, we do have plenty of
#SuperBowls
for you to feast your eyes on 🥣 👀 These bowls are from Turkey, Japan and China
#Superbowl
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Today is
#InternationalArchaeologyDay
! This is the Abingdon Sword, c. 850 - 1066 AD, discovered by Sir John Evans. See it in Gallery 41
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Meet the Snake Goddesses of ancient Crete.
Women appear prominently on frescoes and objects from the Palace of Knossos. Whether goddesses, priestesses or worshippers, these models reinforce the prominent role of women at Knossos. (1/2)
#LabyrinthAshmolean
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“It is hard to be brave, when you’re only a very small animal.” – A.A. Milne
#WinnieThePoohDay
Black Bear Cub in Snow, a 1799 ink and colour painting on silk by Mori Shûhô (1738–1823)
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Happy
#InternationalDanceDay
! These women are throwing shapes in honour of the goddess Hathor c. 1600 BC. The fragment of wallpainting is from ‘The Tomb of the Dancers’ in Western Thebes, Egypt
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What better way to celebrate
#InternationalWomensDay
than learning a little about Hangaku Gozen, one of few female samurai warriors known in Japanese history and literature?
#IWD2020
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Good morning to everyone, but especially to this tiny terracotta monkey in our Greece gallery
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