Welcome

ASHMOLEAN FROM HOME

Click here to discover the Ashmolean, and enjoy the collections, from home.

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683. Our world famous collections range from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and across time.

The Museum is temporarily closed and will reopen when government guidance allows.

NEW PODCAST

MUSEUM SECRETS

Our curators have been recording bite-sized tales of the wonderful, and sometimes unexpected, life of a museum.

UPCOMING ONLINE EVENTS

28 Jan

UP TO 50% OFF

ONLINE SHOP SALE

These deals won't be around for long!

Every purchase supports the Ashmolean.

Membership Card with logos and depictions of birds

GIFT MEMBERSHIP

Support the Museum and treat someone to free, unlimited access to our 2021 exhibitions, The Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours and Tokyo: Art & Photography, plus exclusive events and discounts.

PRINTS & CANVASES

Browse our collection of fine art prints from current exhibition imagery to highlights from across our collection.

landscape detail st jerome reading in a landscape by giovanni bellini with a tablet ashmolean museum wa1899 cdef p1

YOUR SUPPORT

When our doors are closed we lose vital income. You can help the Museum to share its remarkable treasures beyond its walls as COVID-19 continues to prevent many – including schools and families – from visiting.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTIONS

ONLINE COLLECTIONS

Discover thousands of objects and artworks Take a journey through thousands of years of art and history with our online collection. There are currently more than 199,000 objects available to search and browse online.

Netsuke in the form of a rat, Kano Tomokazu, 1800-40

TREASURES

Take a look at a selection of the Ashmolean's most treasured objects, chosen by our curators.

STORIES, VIDEOS & PODCASTS

WATCH

THINKING WITH THINGS

A video series taking a closer look at the Ashmolean's hidden treasures from new viewpoints.

READ & WATCH

STORIES

Enjoy our collection of videos and articles and discover more about our recent exhibitions and some hidden stories in the collections.

LISTEN

MUSEUM SECRETS

Bite-sized tales of the wonderful, and sometimes unexpected, life of a museum.

Starts 28 December.

Ascanius shooting the stag of Sylvia landscape

WATCH

VIEWING ART MINDFULLY

A series of short videos, curators from the Ashmolean will guide you mindfully through a series of objects from the Museum's collection.

WATCH

1-MINUTE VIDEOS

Learn about the Ashmolean collections in under 1 minute! From Ganesha and cuneiform, to Samurai warriors and Pre-Raphaelite art.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

DRAWING ACTIVITIES

Create a textured portrait, or try to keep pen to paper to create a colourful drawing

JIGSAW PUZZLES

We've turned some of our treasures into online jigsaw puzzles. How quickly can you solve them?

COLOURING SHEETS

Download printable colouring sheets from the Oxford Doodle Club, inspired by the collections at the Oxford University Museums

ANIMAL CROSSING PATTERNS

We've turned some of the Ashmolean's treasures into miniature artworks you can import into Animal Crossing.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Find sketchbook ideas, short films, downloadable PDFs, and more.

ONLINE EXHIBITIONS

Online Exhibition

YOUNG REMBRANDT

Online Exhibition

MEDITERRANEAN THREADS

Woodcut print depicting a man laying on a bed looking at a laptop

See the winning entries

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

CURATOR VIDEO

SCENE THROUGH WOOD EXHIBITION

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Enjoy stories and more every day.

Find us @AshmoleanMuseum or by clicking on the icons below.

Twitter Facebook Instagram

LEARNING RESOURCES

Browse this section of the site to find sketchbook ideas, short films, downloadable PDFs, and more

Decorative Still-Life Composition with a Porcelain Bowl, Fruit and Insects

OPEN ARTS FILMS

Watch a series of free films, about Ashmolean artefacts and many others, made by Open Arts Objects to support the teaching of Art History

A woman stands on the first floor looking out over the atrium

Explore the floors of the Museum

Use our interactive floor guide to browse the galleries of the Ashmolean floor by floor and images of the objects they contain

SHOP ONLINE

Hunt in the Forest China Cup

£12.00

Tobacco Leaf Tin Plate

£6.50

The Oxford Colouring Book

£6.00

Alfred Jewel Brooch

£95

YOUR SUPPORT

When our doors are closed we lose vital income.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on museums and galleries and we need your help and generosity now more than ever.

You can help us continue our work by making a donation, of any size, online.

MAKE A DONATION

Membership gives you unlimited access to exhibitions, members-only previews and curator-led talks and tours, a members’ magazine and events handbook sent to your door, as well as discounts across our shop, restaurant and café.

Join us today – your support helps keep our permanent collections free.

Welcome

ASHMOLEAN FROM HOME

MUSEUM SECRETS

UPCOMING ONLINE EVENTS

HAND-HELD HUBRIS

BABY ASHMOLES ONLINE

BABY ASHMOLES ONLINE

DOUBLE DUTCH

THE ART OF DESTRUCTION

BABY ASHMOLES ONLINE

STITCHES AND STORIES FROM THE AEGEAN SEA

PRE-RAPHAELITES CURATOR TALK

BABY ASHMOLES ONLINE

PRE-RAPHAELITE PORTRAITURE

BABY ASHMOLES ONLINE

WOMEN'S WORK

ONLINE SHOP SALE

GIFT MEMBERSHIP

PRINTS & CANVASES

YOUR SUPPORT

EXPLORE THE COLLECTIONS

ONLINE COLLECTIONS

TREASURES

STORIES, VIDEOS & PODCASTS

THINKING WITH THINGS

STORIES

MUSEUM SECRETS

VIEWING ART MINDFULLY

1-MINUTE VIDEOS

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

DRAWING ACTIVITIES

JIGSAW PUZZLES

COLOURING SHEETS

ANIMAL CROSSING PATTERNS

LEARNING RESOURCES

ONLINE EXHIBITIONS

YOUNG REMBRANDT

MEDITERRANEAN THREADS

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

SCENE THROUGH WOOD EXHIBITION

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

LEARNING RESOURCES

LEARNING RESOURCES

OPEN ARTS FILMS

SHOP ONLINE

Hunt in the Forest China Cup

Tobacco Leaf Tin Plate

The Oxford Colouring Book

Alfred Jewel Brooch

YOUR SUPPORT

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The Museum is temporarily closed.