Treasures of the Ashmolean Author:Christopher Brown The Ashmolean Museum, which opened its doors in 1683, is the oldest public museum in the world. Through the breadth of works bequeathed to it and purchased by the museum in its more than 300 years comes an unparalleled survey of human creative endeavors in this beautifully illustrated book where curators provide insight about each work shown. ... more » The Ashmolean's collections cover a large area of the Orient, from the Islamic world of the Middle East through India, Tibet and South East Asia, to China, Japan and Korea. They comprise drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture, as well as ceramics, metalwork and glass, musical instruments and jewelry of the West. Included in this publication are prime examples from each category of holdings - from classic Roman and Greek, to Old Master Drawings by Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, Renaissance paintings by Titian, Uccello and Lorenzo, through to more modern works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Kandinsky. Rare objects in this museum that have been annotated include King Alfred's Jewel (showing direct provenance to this famous historical character), Stradivarius' famous 'Le Messie' violin, and Guy Fawkes' Lantern (carried during the Gunpowder Plot), decorative arts and sculpture pieces, and rare Islamic, Indian, Chinese and Japanese material.« less