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This variety in design shows that samurai of the Edo period enjoyed expressing their sense of style through menuki. Menuki in the shape of mounted samurai, 1603–1708. Shakudō with gold decoration, 1.5 x 3.5 x 0.9 cm. EA1997.119.a & EA1997.119.b

While they were originally designed as functional elements, over time they evolved into miniature works of art. Crafted from materials such as gold, silver, copper and bronze, they often feature animals such as lions and tigers, auspicious symbols like cranes and turtles, or mythical creatures.

This was placed between two pieces of glass, which were fused together by heating, then shaped to make the bowl. See the ring on display in Gallery 30 on Level 1. 🦁 Gold-glass fragment with a lion, set in modern finger-ring, 201–400 CE. Gold and glass, 1.8cm diameter. AN2007.15

🖼️ Enjoy a special late opening of the exhibition on Sat 15 Aug, with extended Rooftop Restaurant opening hours and our seasonal menu of sharing boards and small plates: www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/i...

IN BLOOM EXHIBITIONLast chance to see this beautiful exhibition which explores the history of some of Britain’s most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.www.ashmolean.org

🌹 Three Studies of Rosebuds, May Morris, c. 1877 - 1905. Watercolour over graphite on heavy cream paper. WA1941.108.169

She often took inspiration directly from nature, producing many botanical sketches and patterns. In 1907, Morris also founded the Women’s Guild of Arts – a response to the gender-exclusive Art Workers Guild, and an attempt to raise the status and bargaining power of independent female artists.

After studying at the South Kensington School of Design, Morris took over the embroidery section of her father’s company, Morris & Co, in 1885. From this point, almost all new designs produced by the company were by May and her father’s assistant John Henry Dearl.

Garnets were imported into Anglo-Saxon England from sources in India, Sri Lanka and Czechia. Jewelled disc brooch, 6th century. Silver, gold, garnet, and shell, 4.5 cm diameter. AN1836.p129.213.a

🏛️ Ashmolean Members go for free 🗓️ 8 Oct 2026 until 11 Apr 2027 📍 Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 📷️ Crouching Aphrodite or Venus (detail), 100–199 CE, Roman marble after Hellenistic original © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust. Photograph: British Museum

Seihō was one of the founders of the Nihonga 'Japanese painting' style, which combined traditional Japanese subjects and materials with European artistic techniques and conventions. 🐦 EA2013.35.a

There's a significant story about Scythian soldiers being distracted by a hare and abandoning battle to chase it. Gold also comes with a meaning and has been linked to power and wealth for centuries. See them on display in Gallery 16, Level G. Jewellery, 500–401 BCE. Gold. AN1885.469

They date back to the 5th century BCE and were originally appliqués used as decoration on a woman's dress. We can only imagine how striking it must have looked. The hare was important in the culture where this dress was made and worn.

Fruit and vegetables were often used by the workshop as surrounds for sculptural compositions, but this piece might have been made as an independent object. This citron sits alongside a similar sculpture of a quince in Gallery 56 on Level 2. 🍋 WA1888.CDEF.S19

♟️ Chess piece in the form of two knights, c. 1230–1250. 7.68 x 6.1 x 3.8 cm. AN1685.A.587 ♟️ Chess piece, in the form of an elephant, 1801–1900. 5.6 x 3.2 x 4 cm. EA1956.441.2 ♟️ Ivory rook chess-piece. 4.6 cm height. EAX.3324 ♟️ Pawn chess piece, 1801–1900. 4.8 x 2.4 x 1.9cm. EA1956.441.1

He was particularly taken by the subject of dance, with many of his works depicting ballerinas. These studies were probably made after one of the wax figures he modelled in the 1880s and 1890s. 🩰 Three Studies of a Ballerina, 1895–1905, Edgar Degas (1834–1917). Charcoal and pastel. WA1937.23

She is holding cornucopias in both arms; her feet resting on green grass and eight cream-coloured shells form an arch above her head. See it on display in Gallery 40, Level 2. 🐚 Palissy ware dish, 1601–1630. Glazed ceramic, 19.3 x 12 cm. AN1685.B.584

He is particularly remembered for his experimental coloured glazes and using scenes of plants and animals. This piece is a perfect example of this style, a moulded nude female figure with a garland of fruit and flowers on her head.

🦁 Earthenware tile with a lion, c.1543, Seville, Spain. WA1978.61 🦁 Sketch of the head of a living lion, 1870, John Ruskin (1819–1900). England. Drawing, 16.3 x 19.9 cm. WA.RS.RUD.047 🦁 Clay statue of a lion, c.2325–2175 BCE, Hierakonpolis, Egypt. AN1896-1908.E.189

This artwork will be viewable in the Museum’s Print Room by request from the end of August 2026. ❤️ Red Waves (2025), Maliha Abidi. Screen print.

🍃Design for a fan: The pea stakers, 1890, Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) WA1952.6.310