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The Significance of Monuments

The Significance of Monuments

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<< Other Photo Pages >> Museum of Oxford - Museum in England in Oxfordshire

Submitted by vicky on Tuesday, 06 May 2014  Page Views: 9599

MuseumsSite Name: Museum of Oxford Alternative Name: Explore Oxford
Country: England County: Oxfordshire Type: Museum
Nearest Town: Oxford
Map Ref: SP513061  Landranger Map Number: 164
Latitude: 51.751253N  Longitude: 1.258267W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
3

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Iron Age Bronze Mirror
Iron Age Bronze Mirror submitted by dodomad : Iron Age Bronze Mirror An extremely rare Bronze mirror, dating from the Iron Age and discovered near Didcot, Oxfordshire, has had a temporary export bar placed on it to provide a last chance to raise the £33,000 needed to keep it in the UK. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey took the decision to defer granting an export licence for the mirror following a recommendation by the Reviewing Committe... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Museum in Oxfordshire. The story of Oxford from prehistoric times to the modern day.

Address:Town Hall, St. Aldates, OX1 1DZ
Phone: 01865 252334
Opening Hours: Tues-Fri 10am - 4pm, Sat 10am - 5pm, Sun 12-4pm
Admission: FREE. A small charge may apply to some activities, special events and guided tours.
Visit their web site

The mirror shown is not currently on display as the museum are trying to fundraise to buy it for their collection. See the comment below for further details.

Note: £30,000 (or so) needed to save Iron Age Bronze mirror from export. See the comment on our page
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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
SP5106 : Oxford Town Hall by David Hawgood
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SP5106 : The Parish Boundary by Bill Nicholls
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SP5106 : St Aldates Tavern by N Chadwick
by N Chadwick
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SP5106 : The Boundary Stone by Bill Nicholls
by Bill Nicholls
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"Museum of Oxford" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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The Iron Age Bronze Mirror Appeal by Andy B on Tuesday, 15 July 2014
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An extremely rare Bronze mirror, dating from the Iron Age and discovered near Didcot, is due to be exported in September unless the Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum, in partnership with the Museums Service, can raise the £33,000 needed to keep it in the UK.

The Mirror is a highly significant object, to both local and national archaeology.

Oxfordshire has many Iron Age sites such as Badbury Rings, Uffington Castle and the newly excavated Great Western Park site in Didcot, which are often under-represented in museum collections. This item is a fine example of a Late Iron Age decorated mirror.

The Mirror is made of copper-alloy, and consists of two elements – a plate with elegant curvilinear ornament on the back, and a cast openwork handle. It is in very good condition and its complex and beautiful decoration is an unusual and innovative example of Celtic ‘mirror-style’ art’.

Discovered by a metal detectorist in the Didcot area prior to 2007, it is a rarity –these mirrors are unique to Britain and there are only 18 complete and decorated mirrors known from the later Iron Age (300 BC – AD 50).

Mirrors from southern England, like this specimen are highly significant for our understanding of the later Iron Age, and offer important insights into the social changes which occurred in the century before the Roman conquest in AD 43. They are potentially objects of high status, and their manufacture and usage, alongside toilet implements such as tweezers and grinders for cosmetics, demonstrate the importance of personal appearance as a means of social expression during the later Iron Age.

This one is of an early type, dating to the first century BC, and is decorated with a highly unusual and beautiful curvilinear, La Tène style pattern which has been inscribed into the back by a craftsman who must have been extraordinarily skilled. This Mirror is a nationally important archaeological artefact, as well as an outstanding work of art and piece of craftsmanship. Its acquisition by Oxfordshire Museum Service for the people of Oxfordshire and the nation will help us properly reflect the incredible archaeological heritage we enjoy in this county, and be a spectacular and important exhibit for the Oxfordshire Museum.

Thanks, Carol Anderson – Director of The Oxfordshire Museum

There are lots of ways you can pledge, either a cash, cheque or you can even make a donation online through Just Giving – an easy way to make a safe & secure donation online.

Just visit http://www.justgiving.com/oxfordshiremuseum
[ Reply to This ]

Re: £30,000 (or so) needed to save Iron Age Bronze mirror from export by Dulcie on Tuesday, 06 May 2014
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As part of the Iron Age British group, Dumnonika, we would like to promote this effort to keep such an important Iron Age find within the U.K. and shall therefore be at The Oxforshire Museum on Saturday, 12th July 2014.
[ Reply to This ]

£30,000 (or so) needed to save Iron Age Bronze mirror from export by Andy B on Tuesday, 06 May 2014
(User Info | Send a Message)
The Mirror and the Minister

An extremely rare Bronze mirror, dating from the Iron Age and discovered near Didcot, Oxfordshire, has had a temporary export bar placed on it to provide a last chance to raise the £33,000 needed to keep it in the UK.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey took the decision to defer granting an export licence for the mirror following a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by Arts Council England, on the grounds that it was of outstanding aesthetic importance, and of outstanding significance to the study of Iron Age Britain, the development of decorative styles in the period, and the evolution of Iron Age mirrors.

The mirror is made of copper-alloy, and consists of two elements – a plate with elegant curvilinear ornament on the back, and a cast openwork handle. It is in very good condition and its complex and beautiful decoration is an unusual and innovative example of Celtic ‘mirror-style’ art’.

Discovered by a metal detectorist in the Didcot area prior to 2007, it is a rarity – there are only 18 complete and decorated mirrors are known from the later Iron Age (300 BC – AD 50).

Mirrors from southern England, like this specimen are highly significant for our understanding of the later Iron Age, and offer important insights into the social changes which occurred in the century before the Roman conquest in AD 43. They are potentially objects of high status, and their manufacture and usage, alongside toilet implements such as tweezers and grinders for cosmetics, demonstrate the importance of personal appearance as a means of social expression during the later Iron Age.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The Didcot Mirror is a beautiful object dating from the Iron Age and would be a tremendous addition to any one of our many outstanding national, regional and local museums. I hope the export bar I’ve placed on the mirror allows time for a UK buyer to come forward and secure it for the nation.”

Leslie Webster from the RCEWA said: "This rare and beautiful mirror is an outstanding example of Celtic art in the later Iron Age, and is particularly unusual in the way that its delicately incised ornament challenges some of the conventional design rules for the decoration of these high-status objects. Precious symbols of high social standing, these mirrors also seem to be an exclusively British phenomenon, making this fine example a highly desirable acquisition for a British museum."

The decision on the export licence application for the Mirror will be deferred for a period ending on 14 June 2014 inclusive. This period may be extended until 14 September inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase the Mirror is made at the recommended price of £33,000.

Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by Mr Vaizey. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by Arts Council England, which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.

Source: Arts Council Press Release
See also
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11150882.Bid_to_find_UK_buyer_for_Iron_Age_mirror/

The Museum of Oxford is fundraising to add the mirror to its collection via the Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum
http://www.friendsoftom.co.uk/didcot-mirror-appeal/
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: £30,000 (or so) needed to save Iron Age Bronze mirror from export by Flyvapnet on Saturday, 17 May 2014
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    How is it that no organization or person in the U.K. can scrape together £33,000 to keep this beautiful artifact at home? Is the Museum of Oxford a "mom and pop" endeavor with no financial resources? Why doesn't the responsible government ministry "just say no" to the export-license application? Who, specifically, is trying to remove this artifact from the U.K.; and who, specifically, is selling it? Where are the journalists?

    Questions, questions! The buying and selling, not to mention looting, of museum-quality art and precious artifacts is an amusing pastime for those who live in the seemingly-untouchable parallel universe of privilege and wealth; but like any immoral and unethical pursuit of that class (e.g., initiating warfare) it can be stopped, if the citizenry would only care enough to demand its cessation.
    [ Reply to This ]

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