The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

Ruskin's Educational series, 1st ed. (1871)

Ruskin's first catalogue of 300 works for the instruction of undergraduates and his notes on the use of particular examples.

Educational 1 cover

Ruskin's Catalogues: 1 object

Show search help

Search Help

Ruskin assembled a diverse collection of artworks for his drawing school in Oxford, including watercolours by J.M.W. Turner and drawings by Ruskin himself.  He taught students to draw as a way of educating them in how to look at art and the world around them.  

Ruskin divided his Teaching Collection into four main series: Standard, Reference, Educational and Rudimentary. Each item was placed in a numbered frame, arranged in a set of cabinets, so that they all had a specific position in the Collection (although Ruskin often moved items about as his ideas changed). 

When incorporated into the Ashmolean’s collection in the last century, the works were removed from the frames and the sequence was lost.  Here, Ruskin's original catalogues, notes and instructions - in his chosen order and in his own words - are united with images of the works and links to modern curatorial descriptions.

Reference URL

Actions

Send e-mail

Contact us about this object

Send e-mail

Send to a friend

Enlarged Outline of John Ruskin's enlarged Drawing of Apollo's Laurel Sceptre in the Engraving from the so-called "Mantegna Tarocchi" Arthur Burgess

  • Details

    Artist/maker
    Arthur Burgess (1843 - 1886)
    after John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)
    after Gerardo Fiorini (active 1449 - 1486) (engraver)
    Object type
    drawing
    Provenance

    Recorded in the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford), in 1870; not recorded in the collection subsequently.

    No. of items
    1
    Accession no.
    EXAMPLES.ED.004.b
  • Subject terms allocated by curators:

    Subjects

  • References in which this object is cited include:

    References

    Ruskin, John, Catalogue of Examples Arranged for Elementary Study in the University Galleries (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1870), cat. Educational no. 4.B

    Ruskin, John, ‘The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogues, Notes and Instructions’, Edward T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn, eds, The Works of John Ruskin: Library Edition, 39 (London: George Allen, 1903-1912), 21

Location

    • not found

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum