MUSEUM

the ashmolean
mr ashmole's treasure

In the 1620s a private dwelling in Lambeth - then a village on the edge of London - became home to a remarkable collection. Inside was an eclectic array of curiosities, natural history specimens and exotic artefacts collected from around the world by the owner, gardener and botanist John Tradescant and his son, also John. This assemblage was inherited (in controversial circumstances) by the 17th-century antiquarian Elias Ashmole, an erstwhile friend and neighbour of the Tradescants. Ashmole added his own collection of antiquities and then presented the lot to the University of Oxford, where they were opened as the world's first-ever public museum in 1683 - 'The Ashmolean' was born. Now housed in Charles Cockerell's 1845 classical temple in the centre of Oxford, the museum incorporates archaeological antiquities and the University's art collection, making it a veritable 'collection of collections'.

Recent years have seen impressive changes at The Ashmolean. In 2009 it completed the first stage of a makeover consisting of 39 new galleries, an education centre and a state-of-the-art conservation department. More recently, the completion of the $7.8 million second stage in its makeover was marked by the opening of six new galleries showcasing its outstanding collection from Ancient Egypt. The museum's transformed interior has radically changed how its collections can be viewed: galleries visible to each other across a central atrium show how cultures make links via trade and migrations, how technologies spread, and how factors common to seemingly diverse civilisations demonstrate a shared history. Airy vistas between floors throw light on how, by cultural contact and exchange, East and West have learned from and enriched each other - and how some things never change across time: the knitted sock of an Egyptian child from 300-400 BC could be mistaken for a contemporary designer bootee.