Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford's museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683, and the oldest public museum in the world still in operation. The original collection was given to the university by Elias Ashmole, who had received it from the naturalists John Tradescant the Elder and his son, who had spent decades collecting objects from around the world. The current building on Beaumont Street was designed by Charles Robert Cockerell and completed in 1845. Admission is free. The Egyptian and Near Eastern galleries on the upper floors hold genuine archaeological significance: the Alfred Jewel (a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon artefact of enamel, crystal, and gold, believed to have been owned by King Alfred the Great, found in Somerset in 1693) is one of the most important early medieval objects in Britain. The Egyptian mummy collection and the Greek and Roman antiquities are well displayed. The painting collection spans European art from the medieval period to the 20th century, with particular strengths in Italian Renaissance (including works by Raphael and Michelangelo), 17th-century Dutch and Flemish painting, and Pre-Raphaelite works (Hunt, Rossetti, Millais). The Cast Gallery in the basement holds plaster casts of classical sculpture made for teaching purposes in the 19th century. Budget 2-3 hours for the full collection.