This exquisite 6th-century brooch features an oval sardonyx stone cameo with a female portrait bust positioned in the centre of a gold disc. This is decorated with a cabled border and circles and shapes made of fine wire, or filigree.

This brilliantly coloured Japanese woodblock print is by Utagawa Hiroshige. Here Mount Fuji is viewed beyond a waterfall in the Izu peninsula to the south-east of Mount Fuji. The waterfall is probably Jōren waterfall, a well-known Izu landmark.

Tonight is Burns Night, the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland. This medal, made in 1859 by the Pinches family business in London, commemorates a hundred years since his birth on January 25, 1759.

The Ashmolean 🤝 The Traitors 🖤 Vase with violet-blue glaze, Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng Period (1723 - 1735) 🕯️Guy Fawkes' lantern, c. 1605 🖼️ Portrait of a Lady, Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck, c.1640 🚂 Detail of A Landscape with Two Steam Trains, likely by Félix Pissarro, c.1895

Édouard Manet was born on this day in 1832. After twice failing the entrance exam to train as a naval officer, Manet went to Paris to pursue a career in the arts. By the late 1860s, he was one of the most celebrated artists in the city.

This beautiful amethyst-tinted serving bottle is made from a type of glass developed during the 1670s that contained a high percentage of lead. This so-called ‘lead-glass’ or ‘crystal’ was much heavier, less fragile and more brilliant than that produced previously in either England or Europe.

This ring, featuring a fragment of gold-glass, depicts a roaring lion. At only 1.8 cm across, the animal is depicted in extraordinary detail. Roman gold-glass images began as parts of glass bowls. Images were made by engraving a picture onto a sheet of gold leaf.

Forget #BlueMonday, what is something that always makes you smile? 💙 Girl in a Bonnet with her Head on a Blue Pillow, 1902, Anna Alma-Tadema (1876–1943). Watercolour on paper. WA1964.81

This Japanese netsuke features a beautiful Chinese woman by a vase of plum blossom. The subject refers to a famous poem by the Chinese poet Zhao Shixiong (589–618). When climbing Mount Luofu in Southern China, the poet fell asleep under a flowering plum tree and the Spirit of the Plum Tree appeared

Berthe Morisot, French painter and one of the founding members of the Impressionist movement, was born on this day in 1841. This watercolour was made in Jersey where Berthe Morisot spent the summer of 1886. Morisot painted watercolours, mainly of landscape, throughout her life.

John Singer Sargent was born on this day in 1856. Sargent's output as a portrait painter was impressive, but he also produced a large number of landscapes on his travels in Spain, Italy, and Switzerland.

📣 Last chance to see This Is What You Get: Stanley Donwood, Radiohead, Thom Yorke – this exhibition closes 18 January 📣 Don't miss this unique opportunity to look at the creative forces behind some of the most important and influential music of the past few decades.

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was born on this day in 1836. During a visit to Rome from December 1875 to April 1876, Alma-Tadema collected material for future paintings. He made three studies of parts of the city, including this one in the gardens of the Villa Borghese. 🍃 Detail from WA1966.13.1

This wintery scene of Imado Bridge and Matsuchi Hill is by Japanese print designer Utagawa Hiroshige II. Hiroshige II was one of the most successful students of the great print artist Hiroshige I. He continued the landscape style pioneered by his master, creating many series of landscape prints.

John R R Tolkien was born on this day in 1892. Tolkien, the author of 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings', was a student and eventually a professor at University of Oxford. Back in 1977, the Ashmolean hosted an exhibition of his drawings.

Take a closer look at the artwork that inspired the animation... This print, 'A Drinking Party', forms part of a series titled 'A Set of Goldfish series' by Utagawa Kuniyoshi and dates to 1839–1842. 🌟A Drinking Party, part of A Set of Goldfish series by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861). EA1971.157

Happy New Year to you! ✨ We hope this magical animation by Matilde Senos fills your day with joy! The Museum is closed today but will be reopening from tomorrow - we can't wait to welcome you then. ⭐️ A Drinking Party, part of A Set of Goldfish series by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861). EA1971.157

Happy New Year's Eve 🎆🎇🎆🎇 This woodblock print showing fireworks at Ryōgoku bridge was created by Utagawa Hiroshige I in 1858. It features as part of the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series. We'll be closing our doors tomorrow, 1 January 2026, and will be reopening on 2 January. 🎆 EAX.4365

A look at the original work that inspired today's animation 🔍 These studies of a sleepy, restful hound, captured for a portrait of this dog, are by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, son of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and elder brother of Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo.

We hope you are all resting and relaxing like this perfect pooch. This charming animation was created by Will Lang and inspired by an 18th century study of a dog produced by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. 🐶 Studies of a dog, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727 - 1804). WA1937.223

Christmas leftovers, 17th-century edition. See this relatable Dutch still life on display in Gallery 48. 🍖🍺 Still Life with a Ham, 1642, by Pieter Claesz (c. 1597–1660). Oil on panel, 42 x 34 cm. WA1940.2.19

Happy Boxing Day! Today we bring you this from a Museum accounts book, showing an employee was fined for being particularly merry on both 25 and 26 December, 1704. A fine of one shilling was issued for, yes, you read that right, "coming home dead drunk both nights and neglect of lighting candle"

✨ Happy Christmas to everyone celebrating! ✨ For the final day of our #AshmoleanAdvent calendar we're sharing this silver coin which features a nativity scene. The coin was produced in Rome under the named pope Gregory XIII in the late 16th-century.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 24: Winter Coat Woven from the fleece of a Himalayan mountain goat, Kashmir shawls were famous for their lightness, softness and warmth.

🎄 The festive break has now begun for our galleries 🎄 Over the Christmas and New Year period the Museum will be closed 24–26 December and on 1 January. We will be open as usual on all other days, 10am–5pm. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Museum soon! 💫 Illustration by Kate Baylay

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 23: Winged Nike For today’s Ashmolean Advent treat we have a winged Nike, holding a ribbon in her hand, flying across a wine jug towards a tripod, a symbol of victory. 🪽Attic red-figure pottery jug, 450–430 BCE, by The Calliope Painter. AN1896-1908.G.280

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 22: Pomander These tiny decorative baubles are actually pomanders, designed to carry perfume, but the resemblance to the classic Christmas decoration is uncanny. A pomander would have contained perfumes such as ambergris, musk or civit, and would have been worn or carried.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 21: Snowy Bridge Today’s advent calendar treat is a woodblock print titled Yuhi Hill and Drum Bridge at Meguro by Japanese master printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige. The unusual arched bridge in this wintry landscape was known as a ‘drum bridge’ because of its shape.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 20 brings Singing Pierides painted by Henry Stacy Marks on The Great Bookcase by William Burges. Enormous, elaborate and highly decorated, the Great Bookcase was made to hold art books in the London office of William Burges (1827–1881).

#AshmoleanAdvent Calendar Day 19 – Starry Sky British artist Eric Ravilious trained as a wood engraver and mural painter at the Royal College of Art. This wood engraving, showing mountains, stars and gems, is an illustration for a collection of epigrams and epitaphs by Martin Armstrong. ⭐ WA.OA979

Day 18 of #AshmoleanAdvent - Three Wise Men This curious terracotta figurine from Cyprus, with the heads of three bearded men mounted on a box-shaped body, reminded us of the Three Wise Men of the Nativity story. 👑👑👑 750–480 BCE, Cyprus, Ceramic. AN1968.1524

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 17: Embroidered cushion cover Today’s Advent treat is this brightly-coloured cushion cover or wall hanging, bustling with dense embroidery. In the intricate scene of intertwined flowers, figures and creatures, you can spot stags and various birds.

📣 Last chance to shop online! Are you looking for the perfect festive gift for the art and history lovers in your life? We recommend placing your order by 17 December for UK delivery.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 16: Study of Mistletoe This elegant mistletoe drawing, is a perfect illustration of May Morris’s delicate botanical studies. Drawing directly from nature, Morris was a leading embroiderer and designer of the late 19th-century Arts & Crafts movement in Britain.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 15: Bronze Stag The ancient city of Kish, to the east of the city of Babylon, was revered as the place where the gods had established kingship. In the late 1st millennium BCE, Babylonian kings refurbished the city’s ancient temples and the city flourished.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 14: Winged Nike On the reverse of this gold coin of Alexander the Great, from 330–320 BCE, stands Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. In her outstretched right hand she holds a wreath, and in her left hand she holds a ship's standard, likely symbolising a naval victory.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 13: Chestnut Netsuke Until the 19th century Japanese citizens wore a kimono, fastened by an obi (sash). Small personal items such as purses, pipes or medicine containers were hung from the sash by silk cords.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 12: Raphael’s Angel This beautifully sketched angel was Raphael’s preparatory drawing for a detail in the mosaic decoration at the Chigi Chapel in the church of S. Maria del Popolo, Rome. 🪽 Study for an angel, c. 1515–16, by Raphael (1483–1520). WA1846.208

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 11: The Virgin Mary This figure of the Virgin Mary was possibly carved in the Netherlands during the first half of the sixteenth century. When seen from the front, the figure kneels on a red cushion with tasselled ends, her hands held together in prayer.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 10: Evening Snow at Kiyomizudera This woodblock print shows a view from inside the Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto on a snowy evening by Kawase Hasui. Snow falls steadily, forming drifts on the wooden balcony. Through the pillars, two figures can be seen looking out.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 9: Star Tile This star-shaped fritware tile was made in Iran in the 13th century. On the tile are two seated figures, dressed in richly patterned tunics and enjoying a drink together. ⭐ Star-shaped tile. 20 x 18.5 x 1.3cm. EA1978.1560

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 8: Black Bear Cub Painted by Japanese artist Mori Shūhō, this small bear looks directly out at the viewer while it sits uneasily on a ledge amid the snowflakes. Shūhō was a member of the Mori School of artists who specialised in lifelike depictions of animals. 🐻 EA1964.95.F

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 7: Decorated Elizabethan Trenchers   These decorated wooden trenchers, made around 1600, would have been used as dining plates at banquets on special occasions. Placed face down on a table they would have held sugared fruits, marzipan or other sugary delicacies.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 6: St Nicholas Today marks St Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas of Myra was a 4th-century Christian bishop known for his kindness and generosity. In this icon dating back to the 15th century, St Nicholas is shown as the Miracle Worker.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 5 – Five Gold Rings These hooped earrings are richly decorated with wire, beads, and animal-heads (bull, wild goat, and ram). These earrings were from one of two exceptional hoards discovered in 1905 at Tukh el-Qaramus. 🟡 Late 4th – early 3rd century BCE, AN1926.99–104

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 4: Roman Star Coin Prominent on the reverse of this rare silver coin from the Kingdom of Pontus, located in the Black Sea region of modern Turkey, is a large eight-pointed star.

Adam Buxton speaking to Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 Music about This Is What You Get and the exhibition audio guide.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 2: A Bronze Stag 🦌 This Roman bronze brooch in the shape of a stag would have been used to fasten a shawl or cloak. This brooch was once decorated with bright multi-coloured enamel which was very popular in Britain and France during the Roman period. 🦌 AN1927.418

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 1: Snow at Kinryūzan Temple Our Ashmolean Advent Calendar is here! Check back each day until Christmas for a new seasonal treat from our collections. The first festive treat from the collection is Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s View of Snow on Benten Hill at Kinryūzan Temple in Asakusa.

This wonderful Ancient Greek gold coin dates from late 5th-century BCE. It was issued by the city of Akragas, today’s Agrigento, in Sicily. The coin features a crab on the reverse, and an eagle standing on a rock, devouring a snake.These symbols were common designs on the coinage of Akragas.