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Archive for ashmolean museum

Britain’s First Public Museum

By Linda Tancs

Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology. Britain’s first public museum, it was erected to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the university in 1677. Their renowned collection ranges from an Egyptian mummy to contemporary art. It includes the Alfred Jewel, a masterpiece of goldsmithing made for King Alfred, the only monarch known as “the Great.” Arguably the most famous painting is The Hunt in the Forest (circa 1470), the last known work of an Italian artist named Paolo Uccello. You can browse more than 300,000 treasures like these online. Admission to the museum is free.