Do you believe in magic? Even if you don't, you probably 'think magically' sometimes. We touch wood to stop bad things happening, or take a lucky object to a job interview or exam in an irrational att
The largest surviving portion of the first major collection of Classical antiquities in Britain - the sculptures and inscriptions collected in the early 17th century by Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel
The Ashmolean's collection of drawings and watercolours by Camille Pissarro is the largest in the world and is indeed the largest single collection of drawings by any impressionist artist. This book i
This book is the culmination of nearly thirty years' work in caring for, studying, and developing the collections in this Museum by Timothy Wilson, long-time Keeper of Western Art. Wilson is well-know
The Wilshere Collection offers a remarkable insight into one Englishman's enthusiasm for the early Christian church. A wealthy landowner travelling frequently to Italy, Charles Wilshere (1814-1906) sa
* This book gives an introduction to one of themost remarkable collections of British sculpture in existence, and marks thefirst permanent display of the busts in the museum for over a century.*There
The history of French painting is not the same thing as a history of French drawing, although the two do of course frequently combine. The very greatest French draughtsmen, such as Watteau, Fragonard,
Throughout its history, the Ashmolean has evolved to meet changing needs and reflect new ideas. In the process, it has transformed from a cabinet of curiosities, representing the world in microcosm, t
Khoan and Michael Sullivan began collecting modern Chinese painting in Sichuan in western China in the 1940s, and their collection has developed over the course of over half a century to include paint
Religion has always been a fundamental force for constructing identity, from antiquity to the contemporary world. The transformation of ancient cults into faith systems, which we recognise now as majo
Illustrated from the Ashmolean's collections of twentieth-century sculpture, this book continues the series of Ashmolean Handbooks, edited by the Director of the Ashmolean, Dr Christopher Brown. It pr
The Ashmolean Museum is fortunate in having the most comprehensive British collection of the art of the Indian subcontinent outside London. Especially strong in sculpture, this rich representation of
Because money was no object, surimono usually used the finest materials and printing techniques. Most consisted of a picture combined with related poems, and the arrangement of the illustration and th
History Today carried a feature in 2015, describing The Origin of Museums as "a cult book [that] spawned a new discipline in the history of collecting". Indeed, the first publication of this book in 1
Ancient Mesopotamia and Iran are usually treated separately or as part of a much broader 'Ancient Near East'. However, the developments that lie at the root of our own world - farming, cities, writing
Qu Leilei now stands as a technically accomplished master, capable of handling brush and ink with the utmost competency and photographic-like quality. His visual language is well established, and it r
Edward Lear, born in 1812, was a British artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he po
*Innovative and highly-regarded contemporary Chinese artist*Renowned and unique approach to crossing Chinese tradition with Western influences*Accompanies an exhibition at the
This book is an introduction to Italian Renaissance ceramics. These colourful and highly decorative wares form a distinctive and significant part of the artistic achievement of the period. The Fortnum
Cai Guo-Qiang is famous for his work with gunpowder explosions and fireworks, with which he has created spectacular displays in almost 30 countries, in the skies across Asia, Europe and America. This
The Ashmolean Museum and the Albertina are collaborating on a two-part exhibition project that will examine anew the role and the significance of drawing in Raphael's career. The Ashmolean holds the g
The Wellby Bequest, received by the Ashmolean Museum in 2013, consists of some 500 precious and exotic objects, mainly from Continental Europe, from the late medieval to the rococo, and is the most re
These essays by Hahn and West will deal respectively with the formation of the collection and the figure of Bent Juel-Jensen, the seminal Aksumite coin collector in Oxford (as well as a medical doctor
As some American artists began to eliminate people and remove extraneous details from their compositions, they often employed neat, orderly brushwork or close-up, unemotional photography. Artists as d
Buddhist Art of Gandhara is a scholarly catalogue of the Ashmolean Museum's important but still largely unpublished holdings of the Buddhist sculpture and related art of the historic Gandhara region (
Custodians brings together for the first time, in this beautifully compiled collection, images of many of Oxford's most prestigious buildings along with some rarely seen, but wonderful venues and thei
This beautifully designed book is a celebration of one of the world's most creative, dynamic and fascinating cities: Tokyo. It spans 400 years, with highlights including Kano school paintings; the ico
Philip Guston (1913-1980) was an internationally acclaimed American artist whose response to the political and social tumult of the post-war decades resulted in a prolific artistic output. Over the co
The Jewish Journey is unique in three respects. First, it is a short, accessible, affordable and illustrated history of the Jewish people. Most books of this kind are heavy, unwieldy, expensive coffee
Weimin He's 324 ink drawings, pen sketches and woodblock prints comprise an intimate record of the progress of construction in the newly designed Ashmolean Museum that opened late last year. An unusua
This volume contains nearly 1600 coins of the 9th-16th centuries from North Africa to Great Syria. The collections included in the catalogue are those of the Heberden Coin Room and the Shamma Collect
Jeff Koons is one the most famous, important, subversise and expensive artists in the world. Here he curates a range of works from his entire career, many having never been shown in the UK. Accompanie
The Ashmolean opened its doors on 21 May 1683, making it Britain's first public museum. It now ranks as one of the world's greatest collections of art and archaeology with an extraordinary range of ob
Liu Dan is one of twenty-first-century China's leading artists. Born in 1953 in one of China's ancient capitals, Nanjing, he received his school education from the then recently-established People's R
The Print Room of the Ashmolean Museum is known throughout the world for its Italian and English drawings but it also holds outstanding collections of Netherlandish and French drawings. There are over
Interviewing nearly 30 of the Aldermaston potters, many of whom have written some fascinating submissions about this incredible workshop. The book features a wonderful, previously unpublished, account
-Brand new research based on the excavation of drains and rubbish pits -Newly commissioned photography from both Pompeii and Naples -Further new research on the first ever excavation of a Roman vineya
Manju netsuke have never been the subject of a book on netsuke. Many books ignore them completely and it is hoped that this catalogue will throw light on the differences between the manju and other be
The collection of drawings in the Ashmolean is one of the greatest treasures of the University of Oxford. It began spectacularly in 1843 when a group of drawings by Raphael and Michelangelo that had p
The artistic language of Penck (1936-2017) - characterised by brusquely and expressively painted signs and 'primitive' symbols - is instantly recognisable. This publication introduces his art to an au
