Sculpted over 2000 years ago, this sculpture turned up in a bin bag and was called in by a member of the public. It's nearly 80cm tall, so doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would accidentally fall into the household recycling …
29 January is the start of the Year of the Snake. This enchanting beast’s skeleton is on display in Chinese zodiac cultural relics joint exhibition at the museum. Some 50 snake specimens and a large number of snake-related cultural relics …
Today, the Blasket Islands are uninhabited. This newspaper article documents the decline in population, leading to their abandonment in 1954. These images have an air of melancholy about them, especially the boy and his dog, shy and unsure about what the future holds …
It’s refreshing when museums invite visitors to vote on a meaningful and relevant question – and one which can have impact on the future of the display. The recent Work in Progress exhibition involved a series of interactive prototype exhibits …
Mix up cream cheese, cheddar and blue cheeses, Worcestershire sauce, and minced onion, chill the mixture and shape it into a Christmas tree. Perhaps it’s not that disgusting, but then it’s one of the tamer items in the Disgusting Food Museum, a pioneering institution dedicated to …
The famous battle took place in 1066 on this day, but not where you think. And The Bayeux Tapestry isn’t even a tapestry. With its countless details embroidered on linen cloth, the embroidery (not tapestry) …
Regarded by many as the single most important document in Thai history, this object is not without controversy. The pillar features inscriptions which have traditionally been regarded as the earliest example of the Thai script. Discovered in 1833 by King Mongkut …
Getting into costume allows us to step into another character, to put on a show. Picasso was intrigued by performance – bullfighting but also concerts, cabaret, puppetry and costumed balls. As a parent, he dressed his kids up ...
These personal objects are among items found at sea following shipwrecks, each of them able to tell a story of a life in flux – a straw hat, a Koran, an Eritrean child’s drawing testifying to the torture. Did these objects belong to those who survived crossing the Mediterranean Sea, or those who perished? …
French King Louis XIV had hundreds of scale models made, showing key defensive landscapes across France made. These strategic tools at 1/600 scale, are accurate representations of the towns and surrounding countryside, making it possible to plan …
Cross boomerangs such as this one were used in throwing competitions by older Aboriginal boys and men of the Yidinji language group near Cairns in northern Queensland. The contests judged both the skill of the player and the quality of their boomerang's construction. The tips …
This bronze head, created by the so-called ‘father of modern sculpture’ is one of the earliest works going on display in the Pompidou’s current temporary exhibition. The gallery podcast says this object: “hints at dreams and utter tranquillity, free of all material …
Try ordering a copy of Earth Platinum from your local bookshop and they’ll get quite the surprise. There were only 31 printed and the price tag is $100,000 USD. It would also take quite the delivery truck at 1.8 metres tall and weighing 150 kilograms. I viewed this copy ten years ago …
Everyone who worked on the redevelopment of the museum is represented here. It’s a way of crediting everyone’s hard work with more than just a name on a list – and wherever they go in their careers from here onwards …
Incongruous as it may seem in a museum about the history and heritage of this country, among the traditional art and artefacts there are also many rooms of ‘general heritage’ – tea pots and ties, kids’ bikes and tourist t-shirts …
Designed for measuring the height of the flood waters on the River Nile each year, Ancient Egyptians used this gauge, in part, for predicting the level waters would rise further downstream. But its real function …
In August 1990, this box was used for the ballot on East Germany’s accession to the Federal Republic of Germany. Intentionally made from glass, it symbolised a new transparency in parliamentary decision-making …
Leandro Erlich designed this ‘pool’ especially for Voorlinden. At first sight, it seems like a real swimming pool – the pool blue on the walls, the typical lamps and even a real ladder on which visitors seem to be able …
Step into the world of Igor Gazdík (1943–2006) – art historian, librarian and bibliophile – in this innovative display of books. Once housed in a block of flats, today in the gallery space, the collection offers visitors …
A group of girls chatting in their school playground during a break makes for a seemingly innocent piece of textile art. But these girls are in Afghanistan, where an innocent scene like this simply can’t play out any more, since the return of the Taliban there and the barring of girls and women from formal education …
A table plan for a ceremonial meal, laid out neatly in ‘the Russian style’, as described by Aunt Marie, the authority on French cooking and kitchens. But Marie wasn’t a real person – she was made up by …
Former enemies, united by love – these outfits were worn by German Sigrid Krueger and British Army officer on their wedding day in 1990. Anthony was serving in West Germany as part of the occupying forces when the couple met in an Anglo-German choir …
Birds have long been related to shamans – the messengers of the spirits, their associations with crossing over into other worlds, with the ability to inhabit both our realm and that of the unseen. This bird figure, with its strangely familiar human-like face …
Nature isn’t always presented naturalistically in art. As our relationship with nature changes, so too do the ways in which look at artworks. The Age of Nature gallery at the museum turns the focus towards humanity as part of …
Happy International Bat Appreciation Day. While the museum has real bat specimens in its collection, along with cricket bats, my eye was drawn to this small Victorian playing card …
The royal we were in Istanbul last week, visiting museums and heritage sites. And by chance, this is where the mother of the Ottoman Sultan would carry out her ablutions in private, in her own loo …
As I wondered what to pack on a trip to Istanbul, instead of looking at my own wardrobe, I could have been taking inspiration from this 1790s album of Turkish costume. This clown or harlequin with jerkin, breeches and tall cap …
The sights and sounds, perhaps even the smells, of the streets are captured in this scroll, reproduced in large format on the wall of the museum. Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) would barely recognise Beijing today, one of the world’s largest megacities, with over 21 million residents …
Made in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this rickshaw is one of two commissioned by Manchester Museum – although it’s not clear sure where the other one is. Three British Asian artists …
Influenced by the world of Van Gogh, Mario Giacoya (born 1951 in Sarandí Grande, Florida) creates artworks that are alive with fluidity and colour. Their approach to landscape painting stands out, a rural landscape …
