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

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

Ruskin's Standard & Reference series (1872)

Exemplary works of art. In the catalogue of the Reference series, items marked 'M' are drawings "by my own Hand" (by Ruskin), P are photographs, E engravings and A by Ruskin's Assistant, Arthur Burgess.

Standard & Reference 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

Photograph of Velázquez's "Portrait of Juan Francisco de Pimentel, Count of Benavente" J. Laurent

  • Ruskin text

    46. Portrait of a Knight (unknown). (Velasquez.)
  • Details

    Artist/maker
    J. Laurent (1816 - 1892) (photographer)
    Object type
    photograph
    Material and technique
    albumen print
    Dimensions
    253 x 212 mm (print); 534 x 433 mm (mount)
    Associated people
    Inscription
    Within the photograph, bottom left, a blind stamp: CUADROS DEL R.L MUSEO [arranged in an oval within a border of dots, the beginning and end of the text separated at the right by a star; within the text is a monogram containing an 'M']

    On the front of the mount, printed:
    lower left: J. LAURENT, PHOTO: MADRID.
    lower right: PUBLISHED BY A. MARION, SON & Co. LONDON.
    bottom centre: The Gallery of Paintings, Royal Museu, Madrid.

    On the back of the mount:
    centre, just above bottom, the Ruskin School's stamp
    on a small paper label, stuck down in the bottom left corner, printed: 48. VALAZQUEZ [sic]:-Portrait of an Unknown Person in Armour.
    Provenance

    Presented by John Ruskin to the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford), 1875; transferred from the Ruskin Drawing School to the Ashmolean Museum, c.1949.

    No. of items
    1
    Accession no.
    WA.RS.STD.046
  • 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. Standard no. 46

    Ruskin, John, Catalogue of the Reference Series Including Temporarily the First Section of the Standard Series (London: Smith, Elder, [1872]), cat. Standard no. 46

    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, cat. Standard no. 46

Location

    • Western Art Print Room

Position in Ruskin’s Collection

Ruskin's Catalogues

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum