Today was a real highlight when Caroline Palmer, Print Room Supervisor, showed us some stars of the collection. It’s quite a special morning when you have seen original drawings and paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Turner and Ruskin all before lunch time! We were really wowed by the artworks and were able to take photos and find out how we could visit the print room again to see even more amazing artworks from the Ashmolean’s collection.
Caroline talked to us about the conservation needs of works on paper and encouraged us to use microscopes to look closely at the materials the artists had used and to see tiny details within the paintings.
Today we also saw the Watlington Hoard, on display in the England Gallery, something the Ashmolean is hoping to acquire. Here is a description of the Hoard….
In October 2015, metal detectorist James Mather discovered an important Viking hoard near Watlington in South Oxfordshire. It dates from the end of the 870s, a key moment in the struggle between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings for control of southern England.
The first large Viking hoard discovered in Oxfordshire, it contains over 200 Anglo-Saxon coins, including many examples of previously rare coins of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex (871-899) and his less well-known contemporary, King Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-879).
Come and see it for yourself and make a donation to help the Museum acquire this important collection.
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