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

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

Educational, manuscript (1878)

Unpublished manuscript catalogue for proposed re-organisation.

Educational 3 cover

Ruskin's Catalogues: 1 object

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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.

Ruskin's Catalogues

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Drawing of Abraham parting from the Angels from Benozzo Gozzoli's "Story of Abraham and Hagar" in the Camposanto, Pisa John Ruskin

  • Ruskin text

    214.

    Part of a fresco by Bennozo Gozzo, in the Campo Santo in Pisa : Abraham parting from the three angels , after the talk with them about the Cities of the Plain . Outline made in 1845, my first attempt at study of Italian Art. I wish I could do anything like it now: the head of the principal figure being, as far as I can judge, entirely right in its expression of resignation, and that of the angel above in its sorrow. The original is a very small piece of the great Fresco, and was falling from the wall when I drew it, aA great patch of plaster having come away in the middle of the principal angel's drapery, and under the palm tree. I believe the rest is now destroyed.

  • Details

    Artist/maker
    John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)
    after Benozzo Gozzoli (1420 - 1497)
    Object type
    drawing
    Material and technique
    pen and ink over graphite on wove paper
    Dimensions
    476 x 316 mm
    Inscription
    Recto:
    towards bottom, running across the page, in graphite: Abraham & the three Angels | Outline by Ruskin from a fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli in Campo Sant|o
    just to the right of the first line of the previous inscription, the Ruskin School's stamp
    just below, in ink: M. 30
    below the first inscription, right of centre, in graphite: to be Standard 25
    bottom, towards right, in graphite: S. 25
    Provenance

    Presumably presented by John Ruskin to the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford); first recorded in the Ruskin Drawing School in 1878; transferred from the Ruskin Drawing School to the Ashmolean Museum c.1949

    No. of items
    1
    Accession no.
    WA.RS.STD.025
  • Subject terms allocated by curators:

    Subjects

    angel

    man

    painting

    religious subject

  • References in which this object is cited include:

    References

    Taylor, Gerald, ‘John Ruskin: A Catalogue of Drawings by John Ruskin in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford’, 7 fascicles, 1998, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, no. 022

    Ruskin, John, ‘Educational Series 1878’, 1878, Oxford, Oxford University Archives, cat. Educational no. 214

    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. 25

Location

    • Western Art Print Room

Ruskin's Catalogues

  • Educational, manuscript (1878)

    214.

    Part of a fresco by Bennozo Gozzo, in the Campo Santo in Pisa : Abraham parting from the three angels , after the talk with them about the Cities of the Plain . Outline made in 1845, my first attempt at study of Italian Art. I wish I could do anything like it now: the head of the principal figure being, as far as I can judge, entirely right in its expression of resignation, and that of the angel above in its sorrow. The original is a very small piece of the great Fresco, and was falling from the wall when I drew it, aA great patch of plaster having come away in the middle of the principal angel's drapery, and under the palm tree. I believe the rest is now destroyed.

Arts and Humanities Research Council

University of Oxford

The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art

Ashmolean

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum