Imagining the Divine Free Displays • Talks Founder’s Festival Lates • Family Fun Gallery Activities Courses • Music OCT 2017–JAN 2018

1 OPENING TIMES Tue–Sun 10am–5pm CONTENTS Bank Holiday Mondays 10am–5pm Closed 24 & 25 December SPECIAL EXHIBITION 4 BOOKING In person FREE EXHIBITIONS & DISPLAYS 6 Buy tickets to our exhibitions, talks, events and activities at the Museum Information Desk, in TALKS 8 advance or on the day. COURSES & WORKSHOPS 12 Tue–Sun & Bank Holidays 10am–4pm Online GALLERY ACTIVITIES 13 ashmolean.org/tickets Secure 24h online booking. MUSIC 14 Booking fee per transaction: £1 BIG WEEKENDS 15 Telephone & Email LIVEFRIDAY 16 01865 278112 Tue–Sun & Bank Holidays 10am–4pm LATES 17 Please leave a voicemail, or email [email protected]. TOURS 18 We aim to respond within 48hrs. Booking fee per transaction: £2 FAMILY FUN 19 Booking fees There is no booking fee when tickets are purchased in person from the Information Desk. Booking fees correct at the time of Cover Image: going to print. Footprints of the Buddha, limestone, 2nd–3rd century, Amaravati, India © Trustees of the British Museum ACCESSIBILITY There is access throughout the Museum except Beaumont Street for the lower-ground floor of the Cast Gallery Oxford OX1 2PH which is regrettably only accessible by stairs Telephone: 01865 278 000 due to the layout of the historic building. www.ashmolean.org There are ramps into the building and lifts to all other floors. Wheelchairs are available. We can arrange free touch tours and description tours for visitors with visual impairments and those who need an accompanied visit. For more information, call 01865 278015. SOCIAL Discover more inspiration, news and exclusive images on our social channels. @AshmoleanMuseum

Designed by Lucy Killoran. The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, opened in 1683. It is the oldest public museum in the world and has incredibly rich and diverse collections from around the globe, ranging from Egyptian mummies and classical sculpture to the Pre-Raphaelites and modern art.

AUTUMN AT THE ASHMOLEAN Xa Sturgis, Director

Marking the 400th anniversary of religious experimentation when the visual identities of the birth of our founder by which we still recognise the world’s major religions Elias Ashmole, this autumn we were forged. The exhibition not only includes many open an exciting new gallery beautiful things (including some of the earliest which tells the story of the representations of Christ and Buddha) but also raises foundation of the Ashmolean. big questions about how different cultures have Central to this dramatic new sought to make their Gods visible and how different space is Powhatan’s Mantle, cultures and traditions interacted with and influenced one of the most important each other. pieces in our founding collection. It is housed in a new case which we were able to purchase with the To coincide with our exhibition and to mark the generous help of donations to our Annual Appeal. beginning of the festive period November sees our A huge thank you to all who contributed and to all OneWorld Weekend; a festival of talks, performances our Friends and Members, whose support allows us and activities for all ages exploring the cultural to continue making the human stories behind our traditions of different faiths and communities, objects accessible for all. Join us in October for our including light, music & food, and the connections Founder’s Festival, a whole weekend of activities between them. Make sure to check our Christmas celebrating our origins as the world’s first purpose opening hours at this busy time to get the most out of built public museum. your visit. Our usual programme of free tours, talks, activities and workshops remains full of fascinating Our new exhibition, Imagining the Divine: Art options for all, and don’t miss our newly refurbished and the Rise of World Religions, is the first major cafe for warmth and refreshment as the year draws exhibition to explore the visual cultures of Buddhism, to a close. Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism as these five religions spread across Asia and Europe in the first millennium. It explores this extraordinary period THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! The Ashmolean depends on its many supporters and donors in everything it does. Your support is important to us and has enabled us to inspire and educate a new generation of visitors. www.ashmolean.org/support 3 Mosaic fragment depicting Christ, stone mosaic, 4th century, In partnership with Hinton St Mary, Dorset © Trustees of the British Museum

4 SPECIAL EXHIBITION SPECIAL EXHIBITION “Unmissable... a fascinating journey through the art of religions from India to Ireland“ – Mary Beard

IMAGINING THE DIVINE Art and the Rise of World Religions 19 October 2017–18 February 2018

This is the first major exhibition to explore the art of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism as religion spread across the world in the first millennium AD.

Today, the visual identities of these world religions are distinctive and immediately recognizable, but new research by the British Museum and University of Oxford show that that these visual identities did not develop in isolation within each individual religion. Quite the opposite. As new Footprints of the Buddha, limestone, belief systems developed and spread across ancient empires, they 2nd–3rd century, Amaravati, India shaped the appearance of their gods in reaction to the religious images © Trustees of the British Museum they encountered; adapting, adopting or rejecting what already existed.

The exhibition includes some of the world’s oldest religious works of art MEMBERS such as the first known depiction of Christ north of the Alps; and some of GET IN the first surviving Qurans. Visit this fascinating show and discover how these early representations were transformed over the centuries into the FREE familiar iconography of the modern world.

The Leverhulme Trust has generously funded the Empires of Faith research project. Exhibition supported by: The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts, The Patrons of the Ashmolean. Additional support from: The British Museum, The Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, Wolfson College Oxford, Corpus Christi College Oxford, the EXHIBITION Soudavar Memorial Fund, Richard and Jacqueline Worswick. EVENTS EVENT

Exhibition Tours Wednesdays, 3.30–4.15pm TICKETS Saturday Tour Standard £10 (£11 inc. Gift Aid) Sat 18 Nov, 11.30am & 2.30pm Concessions £9 (£10 inc. Gift Aid) Talking Religion Gallery Talks FREE for Ashmolean Members and under-12s Selected dates, 12.15–1pm Extended opening hours: 27 Oct, 17 Nov, 26 Jan & 17 Feb, until 8pm Exhibition Galleries, free with the price of admission, no booking required. Visit www.ashmolean. Book now www.ashmolean.org/imaginingthedivine org/imaginingthedivine for details. For more exhibition events see pages 8–11 & 17. SPECIAL EXHIBITION 5 FREE EXHIBITIONS & DISPLAYS Temporary displays from our vast collection, plus highlights from recent research.

Aksum: a Late Antique Empire of Faith in Africa 26 Sep 2017–14 Jan 2018, Money Gallery

Explore the religious and ideological history of the Aksumite empire in the light of the coins produced from the late 3rd century to c. 620. The Ashmolean has a world-class collection of such coins, with a very heavy concentration of gold issues by the kings.

Old Traditions New Visions: Art in India and Pakistan after 1947 15 Sep 2017–18 Mar 2018, Gallery 29

After the political freedom gained Contemporary Japanese Tea Wares in 1947, Indian and Pakistani artists 3 Oct 2017–Jan 2018, Gallery 36 faced a significant challenge to express the new nations’ distinctive The preparation of tea in a formal ‘ceremony’ has been practised character and visions. Artists sought in Japan since the 1400s. This display is one of several events new modes of expression, engaging organized at the Ashmolean for the international Arethé Festival, with the modern European art which spotlights the arts of Japanese tea today. See page 12 for movements but remaining oriented information about our Japanese Ceramics and Way of Tea event. toward their own traditions.

6 FREE DISPLAYS Qu Leilei: A Chinese Artist in Britain 7 Nov 2017–15 Apr 2018, Gallery 11 Curator’s Tour Fri 1 Dec, 2.15–3pm, Gallery 11 Exhibition curator Dr Yan Liu will introduce the art and Contemporary Chinese artist Qu Leilei (b. 1951) life of contemporary artist Qu Leilei. was a founding member of the avant-garde ‘Stars Free, booking essential. Group’ in the late 1970s, and immigrated to England in 1985. This exhibition shows his progression Qu Leilei: The Stars and After Symposium from calligraphic collage to an exploration of a new Sun 24 Nov, 10.30am–4.45pm, Lecture Theatre vocabulary of ink language blending lively brushwork Experts from the Ashmolean, the University of Oxford, with western technique. Sotheby’s Institute of Art and the Musée Cernuschi will discuss different aspects of Qu Leilei’s painting and explore his story within the context of Chinese art history, concluding with an in conversation event with the artist himself. £20/£10, free for University of Oxford Students, booking essential.

Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002), Christ on Palm Sunday, 1959 © Estate of F N Souza. All rights reserved, DACS 2017 Gold coin of Ezanas of Aksum, pre-Christian period, mid 340s–360 Tsujimura Shirō (b. 1947), Ido stoneware tea bowl © Tsujimura Shirō Qu Leilei (b. 1951), Friendship, 2012 © Qu Leilei FREE DISPLAYS 7 TALKS Join us for one of our talks on art and archaeology delivered by experts in the field.

Imagining the Divine: Art and the EXHIBITION Rise of World Religions EVENT With Prof Mary Beard, Cambridge University, and Neil MacGregor, Humboldt Forum, previously Director of the British Museum Wed 17 Jan, 6–8pm, Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford TICKETS: FREE, booking essential

How did contemporary religions develop, and what relevance does the story of their evolution have today? Join Professor Mary Beard and Neil MacGregor, two of the UK’s most prominent historians, as they investigate the transition between the ancient and medieval worlds across Eurasia and Africa.

TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities) is co-hosting this event in collaboration with the Ashmolean and the Empires of Faith research project from the British Museum and the University of Oxford.

Mary Beard, Professor of Classics, Booking: torch.ox.ac.uk/beardmac Newnham College, Cambridge University

Annual Beauforest Lecture 38th Annual Barlow Lecture Stanley Spencer The Five Great Wares: Their Origins and With Dr James Fox, Art Historian, Author, Broadcaster Connections Sat 18 Nov, 12–1pm, Lecture Theatre With Prof Nigel Wood, Oxford University and TICKETS: FREE, booking essential. Westminster University Dr James Fox explores the life and works of English Fri 10 Nov, 5‒6pm, Lecture Theatre artist Stanley Spencer (1891–1959). TICKETS: FREE, booking essential. Sir Alan Barlow’s collection of Chinese ceramics is Save the Date exceptional in including each of the prestigious ‘Five Annual Piper Lecture 2018 Great Wares’ of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). In Sat 6 Jan 11am–12pm, Taylorian Lecture Theatre this talk Nigel Wood will present the results of new More information to follow in the autumn at research conducted in conjunction with the Palace www.ashmolean.org. Museum, Beijing. Booking: [email protected]

8 TALKS Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets Fri 17 Nov, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre WEEKDAY TALKS Part 3: Provence and Auvers. Provence was another TICKETS: £6/£5 concessions, booking essential. Japan for Van Gogh, where he could develop his style with Japanese prints in mind. Though his mental Collecting Ceramics state declined, in isolation he was able to create With Phillip Smith, Mallams Fine Art Auctioneers and extraordinary images of colour. Prof Tim Wilson, Ashmolean Museum Wed 25 Oct, 2‒3pm, Lecture Theatre Needlework and the Celtic Revival in Before the Oxford Ceramics Fair begins, the Director Ireland c. 1888‒1922 and Head of Design at Mallams will discuss collecting With Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe, Associate Fellow, ceramics and the changing nature of the market. National College of Art & Design, Dublin Thu 16 Nov, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre Imagining the Divine: The Curator’s View The Celtic Revival reflected the spirit of national With Stefanie Lenk, Empires of Faith romanticism throughout Europe. Scholars, writers, Project Curator artists and craftspeople kindled a new awareness of EXHIBITION Fri 27 Oct, 1‒2 pm, Lecture Theatre EVENT Ireland’s cultural heritage and native skills. How did iconic images of the world religions, like that of the Buddha or of From Tang dynasty to the Teabag: What the Christ, come into being? An overview of the prolific Ashmolean’s collection says about our tea- phase of religious change and artistic invention across drinking habits Eurasia in the first millennium. With Will Battle, Tea Taster, Author of The World Tea Encyclopaedia Elias Ashmole’s attempted rehabilitation Thu 7 Dec, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre of Dr John Dee Using objects in the Ashmolean’s collection, embark With Tobias Churton, Scholar of Western Esotericism upon a navigation of our relationship with the world’s Wed 8 Nov, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre favourite beverage and traverse tea-drinking rituals Explore what Elias Ashmole, founder of the from around the world. Ashmolean, and Dr John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, shared in common, and what led Ashmole In the Beginning: Jewish Life in to attempt a rehabilitation of Dee’s reputation. the Ancient World EXHIBITION With Rebecca Abrams, Author of EVENT Van Gogh: The Colour of Feeling The Jewish Journey With Juliet Heslewood, Art Historian Fri 8 Dec, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre A history of Van Gogh in three parts. What was Jewish life like in ancient times and where did Judaism come from? Trace the first 2000 years Fri 3 Nov, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre of Jewish history, from its earliest roots in Ancient Part 1: Flanders. As he struggled to enter the church Mesopotamia to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. as a profession, Van Gogh drew scenes from his native Holland. Drawn to the plight of the poor, Between Confrontation and Collaboration: he produced dark images that bear a surprising Muslim-Christian relations in comparison to his later work. material culture EXHIBITION With Prof James Allan, Oxford University EVENT Fri 10 Nov, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre Thu 18 Jan, 1‒2pm, Lecture Theatre Part 2: Paris and the Impressionists. Van Gogh joined In medieval times there was a surprisingly his supportive brother in Paris where his exposure to constant flow of goods between Christian and Muslim the work of the Impressionists lightened his palette communities. Explore objects made for Christian forever. Responding to contemporary ideas there, he patrons within the Islamic world and more. began to form his distinctive style.

Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets TALKS 9 did Jews find ways to forge a cohesive religious and social identity whilst living as minority groups in non- Jewish countries?

Picasso: A Lifetime Legend With Juliet Heslewood, Art Historian Sat 27 Jan, 11am–12pm, Lecture Theatre A name synonymous with that of ‘the artist’, Picasso was able to dominate 20th-century art with astonishing changes in style which reveal his engaging originality.

The Invention of Faith With Prof Teresa Morgan, Oxford EXHIBITION University EVENT Sat 27 Jan, 2–3pm, Lecture Theatre Our use of ‘faith’ to mean a religion or set of religious beliefs derives from the central place of faith in Christianity. But what did the first Christians mean by ‘faith’, and why was it so important to them?

Cornelis Cort (1533–1578) after Federico Barocci Faith and Co-operation along the Silk Roads (c. 1535–1612), The rest on the return from Egypt, 1571 With Dr Peter Frankopan, Oxford University EXHIBITION Sat 3 Feb, 11am–12pm, Lecture Theatre EVENT WEEKEND TALKS The author of the best-selling The Silk TICKETS: £6/£5 concessions, booking essential. Roads: A New History of the World takes us from the Mediterranean deep into central Smashing Images in Tudor England: A Very Asia, looking at the role of faith and religion in this Reformation Problem connected part of the ancient world. With Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, Oxford University Sat 4 Nov, 11am–12pm, Lecture Theatre STUDY ROOM TALKS Explore how the hatred of images became TICKETS: £5/£4 concessions, booking essential. fundamental to the Reformation, and trace the gradual decline of this impulse in England during the 17th The Copy during the Renaissance century. With Chiara Betti, Digital Collections Assistant Tue 24 Oct, 3.45‒4.45pm, meet in Gallery 21 Matisse: Mad about Colour Before modern copyright was invented, artists’ copies With Juliet Heslewood, Art Historian allowed the most famous compositions of artists Sat 20 Jan, 11am‒12pm, Lecture Theatre including Dürer, Titian and Michelangelo to spread Matisse and his friends were dubbed ‘wild beasts’ due throughout Europe during the 16th century. to their dynamic use of colour, but Matisse also found personal means of expression in his drawing style. Faith to Faith: images of the Divine With Dr Caroline Palmer, Print Room Supervisor One God, One People? Jews and Thu 14 Dec, 3.45‒4.45pm, meet in Judaism in the Diaspora EXHIBITION Gallery 21 EXHIBITION With Rebecca Abrams, author of EVENT See how the Divine has been portrayed in EVENT The Jewish Journey the Western art tradition and explore how Sun 21 Jan, 2‒3pm, Lecture Theatre European artists have responded to their With images of the divine prohibited in Judaism, how encounters with other world faiths.

10 TALKS Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets Until St George swept him aside, Edmund of Saint AFTERNOON TEA TALKS Edmundsbury was widely regarded as England’s TICKETS: £10/£9 concessions, inc. afternoon tea, patron Saint. Hear about the virtues which endeared booking essential. him to our medieval ancestors.

Luther 1517, Lenin 1917: The Art of Partying: A Feast for the Eyes! The Music of Two Revolutions With Alice Foster, Art Historian With Tim Porter, Historian Wed 13 Dec, 2‒4pm, Lecture Theatre Fri 20 Oct, 2‒4pm, Lecture Theatre From Greek mosaics and Biblical weddings to This autumn we commemorate two of the greatest Renaissance allegories and the celebratory styles of upheavals in history. Music’s response to these the twentieth-century painters. Examine the popular periods of change is vivid and thought-provoking. depiction of parties in the history of Western Art.

Gardens within the Roman Empire Women of the Middle Ages: Life, Love and With Linda Farrar, Archaeologist and Lecturer Learning in Medieval English Art Wed 1 Nov, 2‒4pm, Lecture Theatre With Tim Porter, Historian Roman gardens were created within palaces, country Wed 24 Jan, 2‒4pm, Lecture Theatre villas and town houses in the city of Rome and in the The ‘kings and battles’ version of history has tended provinces, and were a welcome oasis for their owners. to deny medieval women their rightful place. Explore a feast of artworks which set the record straight and St Edmund, Patron of England reveal women at home, at work and in power. With Tim Porter, Historian Fri 1 Dec, 2‒4pm, Lecture Theatre

EATING AND BECOME A MEMBERS DRINKING GET 10% MEMBER TODAY OFF Members enjoy FREE entry to all ticketed

ROOFTOP RESTAURANT exhibitions, with no need to book in advance. Tue–Sun 10am–4.30pm Thu, Fri & Sat 10am–10pm T 01865 278016 Find us on Level 4 E [email protected] www.ashmoleanrooftop.com www.ashmolean.org/support CAFÉ COMING SOON Tue–Sun, 10am–4.30pm America’s Cool Modernism Find us on Level -1 O’Keeffe to Hopper

© John Cairns T 01865 553823 22 March–22 July 2018

MUSIC 11 COURSES & WORKSHOPS Find your creative muse with a short course or workshop.

For the most up-to-date list of our courses floral and traditional motifs. £65/£60 concessions visit www.ashmolean.org/courses The Rise and Fall of the British Royal Drawing School at the Ashmolean Neo-Romantics Every Sun, 1 Oct‒10 Dec (except 5 Nov), 2‒4pm, With Dr Jan Cox, Art Historian Galleries Sat 11,18 & 25 Nov, 2–4pm, Lecture Theatre A course from The Royal Drawing School for young Celebrating the 2017 centenary of painter, illustrator artists aged 15–18. Expand your fine art practice or and designer John Minton, this course looks at the add to your portfolio by drawing from observation in artists who benefitted from the European Modernism the museum, from life models and the local area. brought to war-torn Britain. £30/£25 concessions £150. Booking: royaldrawingschool.org T: 020 7613 8568 Celtic Revival Embroidery Workshop With Lynn Hulse and Nicola Jarvis, Ornamental Pissarro and Modern Painting Techniques Embroidery With Kieran Stiles, Artist Fri 17 & Sat 18 Nov, 10.30am‒4pm, Education Centre Wed 25 Oct, 10.30am‒4pm, Education Centre Inspired by 19th-century British and Irish Celtic art An oil painting workshop focusing on the landscape and crafts. Embroider clothing or accessories with paintings of Pissarro and the French Pointillist artists. Celtic designs using a variety of threads and stitches. Learn to paint with brushes, sponges, rags and knives. £170/£165 concessions £65/£60 concessions West Gallery Carols Workshop iPad for Artists With Dave Townsend, Musician With Martin Beeke, Artist Sun 3 Dec, 1‒4.30pm, Lecture Theatre Fri 3 Nov, 10.30am‒4pm, Education Centre Sing songs from the rural parish churches of the Learn how to use the Zen Brush app to draw with eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. No experience colour and layers and find out how to upload, print, required. Melody or bass instruments welcome. Ends and present digital art. £65/£60 concessions with a 4pm performance in the Atrium. £10/£9 concessions Arethé Festival: Japanese Ceramics and the Way of Tea The Tree Tops and Skies of Turner With Onimaru Hekizan II, Mika Obata, Robin Wilson With Kieran Stiles, artist Sun 5 Nov, 10.30am–7pm, Lecture Theatre, Gallery Thu 25 & Fri 26 Jan, 10.30am‒4pm, Education Centre 36, Wytham Woods and Oxford Ceramic Gallery Examine Turner’s works in the collection and watch a A day celebrating the contemporary arts of Japanese demonstration in front of one of the paintings. Learn tea. Talks, demonstrations and a trip to Wytham for drawing techniques for clouds and rooftops, and the unloading of the anagama kiln and raku firing, produce a completed work over two days. followed by a visit to Oxford Ceramics Gallery. £135/£130 concessions See page 7 for information on a linked free display. £35/£30 concessions Linear rhythm, the route of Chinese painting and Calligraphy A practical introduction to Arabesque design With Qu Leilei, Artist With The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts Sat 27 Jan, 10.30am‒4.30pm, Education Centre Thu 9 Nov, 10.30am‒4pm, Education Centre Chinese painting and calligraphy share the same An introduction to the principles languages, compositions and mark making systems. of Arabesque design. Develop line EXHIBITION Explore this time-honoured relationship. technique and paint designs based on EVENT £75/£70 concessions 12 COURSES & WORKSHOPS Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets GALLERY ACTIVITIES Add another dimension to your visit with one of our regular activities.

Hands-On Coins Japanese Tea Ceremony Sketching in the Cast Gallery Every Saturday, 11.30am–3.30pm, Thu 7 Dec, 1–2pm & 3–4pm, Wed 4 Oct, 1 Nov & 6 Dec 2017, Gallery 7 Gallery 36 3 Jan 2018, 2–4.30pm, Gallery 14 Handle historical coins from Learn about the art of tea in Japan, During these afternoon sessions, different times and places, with enjoy a bowl of green tea and the Cast Gallery’s lower-ground the help of our volunteer team. watch a demonstration in the floor study collection is open for Everyone welcome, but more Ashmolean’s authentic Japanese you to do independent sketching. suitable for ages 5+. tea house. Organised in Please bring your own materials. Free, no booking required. conjunction with the Arethé Free, no booking required, limited Festival, celebrating the arts of to 10 people. Access: regrettably, Archaeological Object Japanese tea. See page 12. due to the layout of the historic and Coin Identification £5/£4, booking essential. building, the lower-ground floor of Service the Cast Gallery is only accessible Wed 4 Oct, 1 Nov & 6 Dec Poetry in the Galleries by stairs. 12–3pm, Gallery 1 Sat 25 Nov & Sat 27 Jan, 2–3pm, A monthly identification service Meet in Gallery 21 for archaeological objects and Oxfordshire poets share new coins, run jointly with the Portable work written in response to the Antiquities Scheme. Bring along Ashmolean’s collections. your finds. Free, no booking required. Free, no booking required. COFFEE & CAKE Relax and recharge with coffee, cake and sandwiches in the Ashmolean Café, or enjoy the pre-theatre menu in our Rooftop MEMBERS Restaurant. GET 10% www.ashmolean.org/eating OFF

Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets GALLERY ACTIVITIES 13 MUSIC Catch a casual daytime performance or experience an evening concert in the galleries.

DAYTIME CONCERTS EVENING CONCERTS Music for Autism – Relaxed Concert ORCHESTRA OF ST JOHN'S PROMS Tue 14 Nov, 12–1pm, Lecture Theatre £20 chair, £10 bench, booking essential. Join a relaxed and informal concert with the Orchestra Tickets: www.osj.org.uk/ 07775 904 626 of St John’s. Perfect for those on the autism spectrum Doors open at 6.30pm. or who have additional needs or learning disabilities. Free, booking required. J.S. Bach for Violin and Harpsichord 01865 278015 / [email protected] Tue 3 Oct, 7.30–8.30pm, Randolph Sculpture Gallery Supported by Music for Autism. With Jan Schmolck, violin, and Howard Moody, harpsichord Harpsichord Recital Sonatas in A major and E major for violin and Thu 19 Oct, 30 Nov & 25 Jan, 2–3.30pm, Gallery 44 harpsichord, with harpsichord improvisations Hear a selection of music played on the Kirkman alongside the Chaconne from Partita 2 in D minor Harpsichord. for solo violin, and Praeludio, Loure and Gigue from Free, no booking required. Partita 3 in E major for solo violin. Supported by the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust. Mozart, Brahms and Schubert Tue 14 Nov, 7.30–9.30pm, Randolph Sculpture OXFORD LIEDER FESTIVAL Gallery Fri 13 Oct, 12:30–3:30, Lecture Theatre and Atrium With the Behn Quartet, Dominika Rembowska, The Ashmolean hosts two events as part of this city- Annabelle Oomens, and the Kirkman Quartet wide festival, celebrating the unique art form of song. Chamber music masterpieces with prize-winning Royal Academy of Music students. Brahms sextet in 12.30–1pm A performance by local schoolchildren B flat, Mozart viola quintet in G minor and Schubert who have taken part in Ashmolean-inspired Quartettsatz. workshops over the previous weeks to compose their very own song cycle. Christmas Carols Tue 12 Dec, 7.30–9.30pm, Randolph Sculpture 2–3.30pm An illustrated lecture with Matthew Gallery Winterbottom, Curator of Sculpture and Decorative With the Ashmolean Voices Arts, on the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts and Crafts Popular Christmas concert, including favourite carols. pioneers, followed by a gallery tour. Free, book lecture via oxfordlieder.co.uk

14 MUSIC Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets FOUNDER’S FESTIVAL A weekend of celebrations focused around our founding collections.

Fri 27–Sun 29 Oct Free, booking required for some events

Join our weekend festival celebrating the Ashmolean’s founding collections and our founder Elias Ashmole, who opened the museum in 1683. We are celebrating Elias Ashmole’s 400th birthday this year with this special weekend of activities. Find out more about the fascinating history of the Ashmolean, and about the tradition of collecting objects. Be transported back to the 1600s with period theatre, talks, quizzes and music. This festival kicks off with a LiveFriday! See page 16. © John Cairns

ONE WORLD FESTIVAL Celebrating Oxford’s Diversity

Sat 18–Sun 19 Nov, 11am–4pm Free, booking required for some events EXHIBITION A big weekend exploring how light, music EVENT and food connects communities and faiths. Come and join us for a dazzling weekend of activities, talks and craft for all ages. Find out more about how Oxford’s religious communities celebrate the festival of light. Listen to local choirs and live music, make a lantern, join a tour, have a go at chanting or meditation, or sample some delicious food from Oxford’s community stalls. With thanks to the Oxford Council of Faiths, the Oxford Civic Society and our other supporters. © David Fisher

Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets MUSIC 15

F ’ S O U E R N D

F L E S T I V A

Fri 27 Oct, 7–10.30pm It’s our founder Elias Ashmole’s 400th birthday year and we’re celebrating in 17th-century style! Tour our brand new founding collection gallery and have a go at curating your own. Meet a host of characters and be transported back to the 1600s with theatre, talks, music and more. Free, booking essential.

16 LATES Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets LATES Stay after hours in one of Oxford’s iconic locations. CHRISTMAS LIGHT FESTIVAL Fri 17 Nov, 5–8pm Take part in festive family activities, enjoy F live music sung by local choirs, indulge in ’ S warming treats from the café, or start your O R Christmas shopping in the Ashmolean shop. U N D E Free, no booking required. © David Fisher

Iconography in the Islamic World ASHMOLEAN AFTER HOURS With Oliver Watson, Emeritus Professor of Islamic Art Fri 26 Jan, 5–8pm and Architecture, University of Oxford. We will be keeping our doors open late EXHIBITION Fri 26 Jan, 6pm, Lecture Theatre so you can enjoy an evening viewing of EVENT In the West, many believe that figures are forbidden Imagining the Divine, attend a talk, or in the Islamic world and that significant meaning is relax after work with friends, all after our instead conveyed in the abstract patterns that abound normal closing time.There will be music and bars in Islamic art. The true story is more interesting, serving food and drink. Why not book a table for and shows a distinctive and innovative approach dinner at our Rooftop Restaurant? to iconography and meaning in both religious and General entry free, tickets needed for exhibition or secular contexts in the Islamic world. talks. Please note that not all galleries will be open. Visit www.ashmolean.org for more info.

Book now www.ashmolean.org/tickets LATES 17 TOURS Discover more about the treasures of the Ashmolean with one of our free tours. © Ian Wallman © Ian Wallman

Find out more by visiting the Information Interpreted Tour: Hands-on Desk or go to ashmolean.org/tours Thu 19 Oct, 10.30am–12pm, meet in Gallery 21 A hands-on session for visually impaired people. Highlights Tours Free, no booking required. Tue, Wed & Sat, 11am–12pm, meet in Gallery 21 Discover the treasures of the Ashmolean with this A Poetry Tour in a Book great introduction to the museum. Sat 21 Oct, 3–4pm, meet in Gallery 21 With Diana Moore, Author Lunchtime Tours A journey from East to West using poetry and song to Tue–Sat, 1.15–2pm, meet in Gallery 21 tell fascinating Ashmolean-inspired stories. A different themed tour each lunchtime. Free, no booking required.

Afternoon Tours Jewish Treasures of the Ashmolean Wed & Thu, 3–3.45pm, meet in Gallery 21 Thu 9 Nov, 2.30–3.30pm, meet in Gallery 21 A different themed tour each afternoon. With Rebecca Abrams, author of The Jewish Journey All of the above are free, max. 15 places allocated on Take a 4000-year journey through the a first-come, first-served basis. galleries of the Ashmolean to find out how EXHIBITION Jewish life evolved from pre-Biblical times EVENT Downstairs in the Cast Gallery Tours up to the present day. Thu & Sat, 2‒2.45pm, meet in Gallery 21 Free, no booking required. Learn about the great statues and friezes of ancient Greece and Rome through the collection Lost Languages on Found Objects of plaster casts. Fri 17 & Tue 21 Nov, 2–3pm, meet in Gallery 21 Free, max. 12 places. Access: regrettably, due to the With Prof John Coleman, Department of Linguistics, layout of the historic building, the lower-ground floor Philology and Phonetics, Oxford University of the Cast Gallery is only accessible by stairs. Bring lost languages back to life on a tour of objects decorated with different scripts and writing. Part of Interpreted Tour: BSL Oxford University’s Being Human Festival 2017. Mon 16 Oct, 10.30am–12pm, meet in Gallery 21 Free, booking recommended. A themed tour with a BSL Interpreter. Free, no booking required. 18 TOURS FAMILY FUN Fun, friendly and free, this is our vibrant and creative programme of family activities. ASHVENTURES All ages welcome, particularly suitable for ages 4+. Join our regular Ashventures: stories, gallery hunts, games and crafts. 2‒2.45pm, repeated at 3.15‒4pm, meet in Gallery 21 Portrait Detectives Sat 7 Oct Ancient Greece: Mythical Monsters Sat 14 Oct

Still Life Painting: Flowers, © Ian Wallman Bugs and Skulls Sat 11 Nov Nativity: Christmas Story Paintings Sat 9 & 16 Dec Pre-Raphaelites India: Lord of the Dance HOLIDAY Fri 20 Oct, Gallery 66 Sat 13 Jan Islamic Middle East Ancient Rome: Emperors ADVENTURES: Fri 27 Oct, Gallery 31 & Empires HALF TERM Sat 27 Jan Royalists and Roundheads Wed 25 & Thu 26 Oct, 1‒4pm, PICK UP FUN Atrium Begin your museum adventure at LITTLE Create your own 17th-century the Information Desk. ASHMOLES FUN accessories, and find out about Every day: family trails and exciting Civil War objects. sketching materials. Explore, play and learn together Sat & Sun, 2–4pm: Fun ‘make with a different theme each month. and takes’, magnifiers and torches All welcome but particularly (subject to availability). suitable for 3–5 year olds. NEW BABY Every Thursday in term-time ASHMOLES Check out p.15 for family-friendly 10.30‒11.15am For parents and carers with babies Big Weekend events! under 1 (not walking). Join us for Diwali singing and sensory play with your Thu 5, 12 & 19 Oct, Gallery 32 little ones, and fascinating object Mini Beast Feast stories for adults. Thu 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 Nov, 10.30‒11.15am Gallery 48 Drop in All family events are Little Angels Dutch Still Life free, with a suggested donation Thu 7 & 14 Dec, Gallery 43 Fri 6 Oct, Gallery 45 of £1 per child. Money, Money, Money Mughal India Reminder Children must be Thu 4, 11, 18 & 25 Jan, Gallery 7 Fri 13 Oct, Gallery 33 accompanied by an adult. FAMILY FUN 19 CHRISTMAS AT THE ASHMOLEAN SHOP & CAFE Open Tue–Sun 10am–5pm Holiday Openings: Bank Holiday Mondays and every Monday from 30th Oct–18 Dec. MEMBERS

Find us on Level -1 GET 10% shop.ashmolean.org OFF

Surprise and delight your guests by hosting your Christmas party ASHMOLEAN in the elegant surroundings of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Wine and dine in the stunning CHRISTMAS galleries and then party the night away in our vaulted café – make it a PARTIES truly memorable occasion this year.

‘We had a wonderful party and your service was excellent so thank you very much. Happy holidays!’

[email protected] 01865 610406 20www.ashmolean.org/Christmas