Research
The collections in the Department of Western Art cover 800 years and a wide range of materials. They include paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, silver, textiles and musical instruments.
Curatorial Responsibilities
The curatorial responsibilities of the members of the Department, with a selection of recent or pending publications specifically on the Museum collections, are as follows:
- Timothy Wilson, Keeper
- Decorative arts (especially ceramics); sculpture to 1914. Scholarly and teaching interests include the history of collecting.
Recent/pending publications on the collections: Catalogue of Italian pottery in the Ashmolean (commenced, no completion date yet fixed). - Jon Whiteley, Senior Assistant Keeper
- German, Dutch and Flemish paintings and drawings by artists born before 1875; French paintings by artists born 1775-1875; Russian paintings and drawings; furniture; musical instruments. Scholarly interests: French art. Museum spoliation specialist.
Recent/pending publications on the collections: Handbook on Hill Collection of Musical Instruments (in preparation) and Catalogue of Later French Paintings in the Ashmolean. - Catherine Whistler, Senior Assistant Keeper
- Italian and Spanish paintings and drawings by artists born before 1875; French paintings by artists born before 1775; textiles; fans. Oversight of painting conservation.
Recent/pending publications on the collections: Catalogue of later Italian, Spanish and earlier French paintings in the Ashmolean (in preparation). - Colin Harrison, Assistant Keeper
- British paintings and drawings by artists born before 1875; British early 20th-century figurative painting; the Pissarro archive; miniatures. Oversight of documentation.
Recent/pending publications on the collections: Catalogue of British paintings in the Ashmolean (in preparation).
To find out more about research carried out by the Ashmolean's curators and staff between 1999 and 2006 please download the Research Profile.
Western Art Online Archives
- Western Art paintings online
- Western Art drawings online
- The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin's Teaching collection - The Elements of Drawing is a searchable and browsable online version of the teaching collection and catalogues assembled by John Ruskin for his Oxford drawing schools
- The Sutherland Collection - Between them, the Ashmolean Museum and the Bodleian Library hold the Sutherland Collection, which centres around extra-illustrated books compiled by Alexander Hendras Sutherland and his wife Charlotte, née Hussey, between c.1795 and 1839.The collection runs to 216 volumes, with some additional detached works. It is a significant research resource.
- Western Art objects highlighted as part of the Object of the Month page
Western Art Handbooks
- Camille Pissarro and His Family by Anne Thorold
- Eighteenth Century French Porcelain by Aileen Dawson
- English Delftware by Anthony Ray
- Finger Rings (cross-departmental) by Diana Scarisbrick and Martin Henig
- French Drawings and Watercolours by Jon Whiteley
- Glass (cross-departmental) by Martine Newby
- J.M.W. Turner by Luke Hermann & Colin Harrison
- Maiolica by Timothy Wilson
- Michelangelo & Raphael by Catherine Whistler
- Miniatures by Richard Walker
- Oxford and the Pre-Raphaelites by Jon Whiteley
- Picture frames by Timothy Newbery
- Ruskin's Drawings by Nicholas Penny
- Samuel Palmer by Colin Harrison
- Twentieth Century Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum by Kate Eustace
- Twentieth Century Sculpture in the Ashmolean Museum by Kate Eustace
- Worcester Porcelain - the Marshall Collection by Dinah Reynolds
Follow this link for information on these and other publications.
Exhibitions
Follow this link to view a list of past exhibitions dating back to 1891.
Request for information about artists or their estates
Any information on the whereabouts of the following artists or their estates, regarding ownership of copyright, would be most welcome:
Please email western-art@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
Western Art Principal Catalogues and Studies of Prints and Drawings
Follow this link for a list of Western Art principal catalogues and studies of prints and drawings.