Greville John Chester

“ Types of art are so intermingled and so run into each other, that ancient objects brought from one country must be studied side by side with those brought from another, in order that the influences which cause various forms to assimilate or disagree may be traced out and appreciated. It is, for example, as misleading and unreasonable to divorce Greek from Roman antiquities, or Cyprian and Assyrian from Egyptian, as it would be to separate the Birds from the Reptiles in a Museum of Natural History, or to cut off the Saurians of the Lias from the Crocodiles and Alligators of the present day. ”

“ Lately the ruling spirits of the Natural History Museum, on the principle, probably, that "all is Fish that comes to their net," have commenced a rival Collection of Antiquities, which contains indeed some valuable and interesting specimens, but these are so jammed together that they cannot be seen or studied to advantage, while every canon of good taste is violated by the incongruity of their surroundings. ”

“ Now the cause of the over-crowding of the Ashmolean is the action of the University authorities, who for the sake of holding occasional examinations of undergraduates have during the building of the new Schools, for years past, confiscated the upper room. Some one might surely have remembered that, after all, education and instruction are better than examination, and that some of these young men might he better fitted for their examination itself if objects illustrative of History and Archæology were presented to their view in an intelligible manner. ”

“ The keepership of the Ashmolean seems to have had, until recently, no endowment at all, but by the munificence of the present keeper, Mr. John H. Parker, it has been permanently endowed with £100 a year. This sum, however, is barely sufficient to provide a salary for the assistant-keeper and a boy, and leaves nothing over for current expenses, much less for the purchase of additional antiquities. What is really wanted is an assistant-keeper who is an educated man, a Member of the University, and one possessed of a fair amount of taste and archæological knowledge. ”

“ The History of Egypt is written upon her ancient monuments, and the student of Herodotus who has before his eyes a well-arranged collection of Egyptian antiquities will learn more of the arts, manners, customs, mythology, and religion of the ancient Egyptians in a week than he would in months employed in the study of hooks. ”

“ The Egyptian and Greek Catalogues are about to be printed privately at the expence of Mr. Parker, but surely the University ought to publish its own Catalogues in its own Printing Press, and not saddle the expense upon an individual to whom, in a pecuniary way, it already owes so much. In a collection wherein, from the multiplicity of small objects, it is difficult to affix a descriptive label to every article, the importance of a Catalogue can scarcely be exaggerated. ”

“ Next, there are the ancient Sculptures of the Pomfret Collection stowed away out of sight and out of mind in the dreary vaults of the Taylor Buildings, or incongruously stuck about amongst the casts of the Chantrey statues. There may be seen a gigantic Mr. Pitt (in plaster of Paris) , who completely dwarfs his neighbour, a middle-sized ancient Philosopher (in white marble) , and the tail of the toga of the English Statesman (not of the Philosopher) hides two Roman sarcophagi. ”

“ M.A. and C.B., and the ex-Assistant-Keeper, who admits that the objects in question were "turned out" of the Museum, but he alleges that this was done under the direction of the late keeper, Dr. Duncan, who is no longer alive to defend himself from such a preposterous charge. [2] This serious and disgraceful matter is only alluded to here in order that members of the University may note the spoliation to which, under the existing machinery, they are liable to be exposed. ”

“ This dangerous and indeed fatal practice probably airses from the circumstance that the assistant-keeper is permitted to receive although not to demand fees from visitors. If his salary is not deemed sufficient, it should be raised by the University itself. 8, The combination of the Castellani Antiquities in the Taylor Buildings with the Castellani Antiquities and those of the Henderson bequest in the Ashmolean. ”