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Ashmolean Museum: Study Visit Web Resources

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Introduction

  • Type of visit
  • Information needed
  • Language needed

Study resources

  • Ashmolean Museum
  • Other UK Museums & Galleries
  • Art-related Glossaries
  • Archaelogy

Interactive study resources

  • Interactive glossary
  • Art quizzes

Choose a different study visit
Text by Geoff Taylor, St Clare's, Oxford, OnLine (SCOOL) Co-ordinator, July-August, 2005

Map showing location of Ashmolean Museum, OxfordIntroduction

The Ashmolean Museum is a great place to visit to find out about the arts of the past in different parts of the world.

There are 5 main areas:

  • Antiquities
    From the Palaeolithic to Victorian periods; from Egypt and the Middle East to Europe and Britain
  • Cast gallery
    Copies of classical sculptures, especially Roman and Greek sculptures
  • Eastern art
    From the Islamic world of the Middle East through India, Tibet and South East Asia, to China, Japan and Korea
  • Coins
    Coins and medals from around the world, but most notably Greek, Roman, Celtic, Byzantine, Medieval, Islamic, Indian and Chinese
  • Western Art
    Drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture, as well as ceramics, metalwork and glass. There is also a collection of musical instruments and jewellery

Quote

"the oldest public museum in Britain, and one of the oldest public museums in the world"
Source: www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/

Type of visit

  • Museum of art and archaeology

Information needed

  • Genres of art (oil-painting, watercolour, sculpture, etc)
  • History of art, including the art of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans and eastern continents
  • Archaelogical themes, e.g. mummification in Egypt

Language needed

  • General descriptive vocabulary: colours, shapes
  • General language of opinions, including positive/negative adjectives
  • Specific art-related vocabulary, including:
    • Location and prepositional phrases (in the background, etc)
    • Genres of art (oil-painting, watercolour, sculpture, etc)
    • Vocabulary related to the process of creating artworks
    • Art of older civilisations (including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans)
  • Lifestyles of older cultures, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans

Study resources

(These links could be used as information sources before a visit)

Ashmolean Museum

  • Ashmolean Museum: Home Page
    http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/
    The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology is a museum of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1683, it is the oldest public museum in Britain, and one of the oldest public museums in the world. Admission is free!
  • Ashmolean Museum Tourist Information
    http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/introduction/
    Opening/closing times; closures for public holidays; location (map); etc.
    Group bookings and tours: Oxford (01865) 278015
  • Ashmolean Features Links Page
    http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/features/
    Includes information about Gallery Talks and Tours
  • Ashmolean Museum Education Service
    http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/education/
    Includes information about Group Visits and Scheduled Events
  • Online Resources
    http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/cis/
    Ashmolean Museum Collections Information System (AMCIS) is the part of the Ashmolean Museum's Web site that gives you access to the Online Collections. AMCIS is organised into five areas, including:
    • AMPs (Ashmolean Museum Presentations)
      AMPs is a series of Web pages that explore various themes and subjects that relate the Ashmolean's collections.
      Intended Audience: Anyone with an interest in Art and Archaeology
    • AMULET (Ashmolean Museum Units for Learning, Education and Teaching)
      AMULET is a series of resources to be used at different levels of the Learning Process.
      Intended Audience: Anyone who is involved in the Learning Process, whether student or teacher
    • AMOS (Ashmolean Museum Object Seeker)
      AMOS is an interactive searching facility that helps the visitor to the Ashmolean's web site locate information on specific objects that are currently available in the online collections. It is best equated with a library catalogue.
      Intended Audience: Anyone who is interested in finding out about the objects in the collections
  • Virtual Tour of Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
    (copyright karl harrison & university of oxford 2002)
    High graphic version (requires Macromedia Flash web browser plug-in)
    http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/ashmolean/default.html
    Text links version (if you don't have Macromedia Flash plug-in): http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/ashmolean/text.html
    Really cool! A huge tour of 360 degree interactive photographic panoramas of Britain's oldest public museum. Founded in 1683, it contains the University of Oxford's collections of art and antiquities. Collections cover a wide range in both space and time. From the Palaeolithic to Victorian periods; from Egypt and the Middle East to Europe and Britain.
    Requirements: 360° panoramas require Apple's QuickTime for Mac OS or MS Windows

Other UK Museums & Galleries

Art-related Vocabulary

  • Art Glossaries at WebMuseum, Paris
    http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/
    Short descriptions of major art periods: Baroque, Classicism, Cubism, Dada, Expressionism, Fauvism, Futurism, Impressionism, Realism, Renaissance, Romanticism, Surrealism
  • Art Glossary
    http://www.ucanbuyart.net/art_glossary.html
    From Acrylic to Zodiac
  • Glossary of Art Terms
    http://www.martinlawrence.com/glossary_explore.html
    From Aquatint to Wash
  • Glossary of art terms
    http://www.arca.net/tourism/glossary.htm
    From Acanthus to Wunderkammer

Archaelogy

  • Oxford Archaelogy Homepage
    http://www.oxfordarch.co.uk/
    Oxford Archaeology is the largest independent archaeological practice in the country with over 200 specialist staff based in Oxford and Lancaster.

Interactive study resources

(These activities could be used as practice exercises, before or after a visit)

Interactive glossary

  • Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture
    http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/menuglossary/index.htm
    To find a word, click on its first letter in the list below. To see an illustration of a word and hear its pronunciation, click on it in the window to the right. Brilliant!

Art quizzes

  • Ms. Quiz's Art Quizzes at ArtKids
    http://accessarts.org/ArtKids/ArtHistory/msquiz.html
    A fun and educational way to test your knowledge. Compare your answers to other artists. Choose from 10 to 50 or more questions. Your result is sent to your email address. Difficult!
    Art Appreciation
    http://msquiz.com/ArtAppreciation/
    Art Styles & Techniques
    http://msquiz.com/ArtTechniques/
    Art History
    http://www.msquiz.com/ArtHistory/
  • Art Quizzes
    http://www.ucanbuyart.net/art_quiz.html
    "These weekly art quizzes will test your knowledge in the world of art and art history."
    The questions start off easy and get harder as they progress. The questions change each week. When I visited, they were about Van Gogh. Good Luck! You'll need it!
St Clare's, Oxford, 139 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7AL, UK. Tel: 44 (0)1865 552031, Fax: 44 (0)1865 513359
Email: english.admissions@stclares.ac.uk, Web: http://www.stclares.ac.uk, Email the SCOOL Webmaster
Unless otherwise stated, all materials © St Clare's, Oxford, 2001-2005