The Ashmolean Museum has launched a major online resource to open up the University of Oxford's Islamic and Asian Art collections held at the Museum.
Eastern Art Online: The Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art will showcase collections from the Islamic Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, China, Japan and Korea. 11,000 objects have been photographed to date.
It will be possible to zoom in on high-quality images of a wide range of media, including ceramics, textiles, sculpture, metalwork, paintings and prints.
"Reflecting the methodology of Crossing Cultures Crossing Time, The Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art will explore the artistic cultures of Asia collectively," said Ashmolean Director Christopher Brown.
"By examining their similarities and differences, the online visitor will learn that art from the Islamic world co-exists with other great Asian artistic traditions, from India to Japan."
Ceiling boss, sandstone with pigment. Southern Rajasthan (8-9th century AD). © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The project started in 2007 with the support of arts philanthropist Yousef Jameel. Future plans include a study centre of Islamic and Asian Art at the Ashmolean.
"Knowledge should be accessible to everyone, everywhere, at any time. The online Centre of Islamic and Asian Art will be a major step towards achieving this goal," said Mr Jameel.
"I envisage the Centre as the hub of a future worldwide network exploring how different cultures learnt from each other and enriched peoples lives as a result."
