The third film in our series exploring the remarkable collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
In this episode, Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the shifting image of witches in the early modern imagination. In conversation with curator An Van Camp, we trace how witches were portrayed in prints and drawings from the 15th to the 17th centuries - sometimes grotesque, sometimes seductive, but always threatening. From dark woodcuts to intricate engravings, we uncover the fears and fantasies that shaped these depictions.
Along the way, we encounter one of the most curious objects in the museum: a witch’s bottle, sealed and buried to protect against harmful magic. These artefacts reveal a world gripped by anxiety, where superstition, religion, and art collided in the struggle to explain the unexplainable.
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The Ashmolean Up Close: Demons of Mes...
The second film in our series exploring the remarkable collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. In this episode, Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb journeys into the world of Ancient Mesopotamian protectors. Guided by curator Dr Nancy Highcock, we uncover a fascinating array of objects, from fearsome ...
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The Ashmolean Up Close: Memento Mori
The fourth film in our series exploring the remarkable collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
In this episode, Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb meets curator Matthew Winterbottom to explore the morbid side of life in Early Modern Europe... through Memento Mori.
This was a period awash with obje...
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Meet the Tudors - Holbein at Henry VI...
Imagine coming face to face with the extraordinary people who filled the court of King Henry VIII.
Well we can! Thanks to the extraordinary work of the artist hans Holbein the Younger.
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb goes to Buckingham Palace to enter the gallery of the Royal Collection where a bri...
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