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Pitt Rivers Museum

REOPENING UPDATE: We are delighted to announce that the Museum will be reopening on Monday 17 May. Booking is required and tickets are now available here.

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mnh luxmuralis by john cairns 18 11 20 10 copy

Radical Hope, Critical Change

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Kesang Ball. Photograph by Nyema Droma. 2018.

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Objects in the 'Messy Realities' project

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Immigrants divided by a barrier greet and kiss each other at the train station

Memoirs in My Suitcase (1)

“When my husband said he was going to Germany, I never said anything. I had heard its name for the first time. I realised how far he was going away from me when he said the train journey took three days.”

This short film highlights the lives and experiences of Turkish migrant workers in Western Europe, particularly first-generation ‘guest workers’ living in Germany through the 1960s and 1970s. Film reproduced courtesy of DiasporaTürk, in conjunction with the Pitt Rivers Museum’s exhibition ‘Memoirs in My Suitcase’

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Detail of damage on mask (1884.114.23) - the conservator needs to decide at what stage in an object's life a surface treatment or repair has taken place

Conservation case study: Noh theatre masks

The Museum holds a collection of 52 Noh theatre masks. Many had suffered from shrinkage of the wood resulting in...

The Museum holds a collection of 52 Noh theatre masks. Many had suffered from shrinkage of the wood resulting in cracking and loss to the gofun top layer. A total of 102 hours of conservation...

The Museum holds a collection of 52 Noh theatre masks. Many had suffered from shrinkage of the wood resulting in cracking and loss to the gofun top layer. A total of 102 hours of conservation work was needed to...

The Museum holds a collection of 52 Noh theatre masks. Many had suffered from shrinkage of the wood resulting in cracking and loss to the gofun top layer. A total of 102 hours of conservation work was needed to get them ready for display.

Detail of the neck of shirt (1893.67.5) before conservation

Conservation case study: Blackfoot shirts

In 2010, five historic Blackfoot hide shirts travelled from the Pitt Rivers Museum to Alberta, Canada, for handling...

In 2010, five historic Blackfoot hide shirts travelled from the Pitt Rivers Museum to Alberta, Canada, for handling workshops and exhibitions. The combined conservation treatment time...

In 2010, five historic Blackfoot hide shirts travelled from the Pitt Rivers Museum to Alberta, Canada, for handling workshops and exhibitions. The combined conservation treatment time to prepare the shirts for travel...

In 2010, five historic Blackfoot hide shirts travelled from the Pitt Rivers Museum to Alberta, Canada, for handling workshops and exhibitions. The combined conservation treatment time to prepare the shirts for travel was 303 hours.

Repairing the kimono oni figure (1964.1.2.5)

Conservation case study: Edo oni figures

The Museum's two oni figures stand just over 1m tall. Over time, their paint had begun to peel and the kimono...

The Museum's two oni figures stand just over 1m tall. Over time, their paint had begun to peel and the kimono was very fragile with considerable damage. It took nearly 200 hours...

The Museum's two oni figures stand just over 1m tall. Over time, their paint had begun to peel and the kimono was very fragile with considerable damage. It took nearly 200 hours of conservation work to get...

The Museum's two oni figures stand just over 1m tall. Over time, their paint had begun to peel and the kimono was very fragile with considerable damage. It took nearly 200 hours of conservation work to get them ready for display.

Detail of willow shaving layers (inau) on quiver (1910.68.12)

Conservation case study: Ainu hunting quiver

While the quiver was being assessed in the conservation department, it became apparent that the object had numerous...

While the quiver was being assessed in the conservation department, it became apparent that the object had numerous signs of wear and repair suggesting its long-term use. It took 126...

While the quiver was being assessed in the conservation department, it became apparent that the object had numerous signs of wear and repair suggesting its long-term use. It took 126 hours of conservation work to...

While the quiver was being assessed in the conservation department, it became apparent that the object had numerous signs of wear and repair suggesting its long-term use. It took 126 hours of conservation work to get it ready for display.

Stroud cloth on war bonnet (1954.8.140) with felted wool gap-fill

Conservation case study: Lakota war bonnet

This war bonnet was made by the Oglala Lakota, one of the tribes comprising the 'Great Sioux Nation.'...

This war bonnet was made by the Oglala Lakota, one of the tribes comprising the 'Great Sioux Nation.' Over time, many of the materials had begun to deteriorate and weaken...

This war bonnet was made by the Oglala Lakota, one of the tribes comprising the 'Great Sioux Nation.' Over time, many of the materials had begun to deteriorate and weaken due to damage caused by insect...

This war bonnet was made by the Oglala Lakota, one of the tribes comprising the 'Great Sioux Nation.' Over time, many of the materials had begun to deteriorate and weaken due to damage caused by insect attack and the accumulation of Museum dust.

Detail of headdress (1886.1.1637.6) before construction

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Conservation

The case studies on this page document the work of the Museum conservators who are responsible for safeguarding...

The case studies on this page document the work of the Museum conservators who are responsible for safeguarding the 300,000 artefacts in the Museum's collections for the futur...

The case studies on this page document the work of the Museum conservators who are responsible for safeguarding the 300,000 artefacts in the Museum's collections for the future.