National Treasures
'The Wilton Diptych'
At the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Until 1 September 2024
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683. Their world-famous collections range from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and across time.
The Wilton Diptych
The Ashmolean is displaying The Wilton Diptych in its England: 400–1600 Gallery on the 2nd Floor alongside the museum’s Cloth of Gold, the funeral pall of Henry VII, placing the work in a historical context not possible at the National Gallery.
A short film introduces the diptych, its history, how it got to London highlighting that it’s the first time it has left the National Gallery since it was acquired.
An audio guide (produced with Smartify) explores the diptych’s iconography in more depth and how it relates to the artefacts around it. The trail introduces related objects in the England gallery including the Cloth of Gold, a 14th-century gold and enamel triptych (said to have been owned by Mary Queen of Scots) and an Adoration of the Magi with a similar composition to ‘The Wilton Diptych’.
The Family Festival of Art and the Festival of Archaeology both during summer, include activities inspired by 'The Wilton Diptych', plus performances and a photo booth with costumes helping you to bring the painting to life.
