In episode 2 of Temple of Science, we take a closer look at the decoration on the outside of the Museum building, which captures the vitality of nature, presented in Victorian Oxford as the study of God’s creation.
Episode 2 – 'God’s Own Museum': The Façade
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From the outset, Oxford University Museum wanted to teach the principles of natural history through art as well as science. In this episode we take a close look at the museum’s façade. The carvings round the windows, incorporating designs by John Ruskin and carved by the brilliant Irish stonemason and sculptor James O’Shea, revel in the vitality of nature, while the decorations round the main entrance remind us that, for the scientists in Victorian Oxford, natural history was the study of God’s creation.
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Oxford University Museum of Natural History is a unique fusion of architecture, science and art. Built in the 1850s, it uses sculpture, painting and design to embody scientific principles and discoveries. In this series of illustrated podcasts, recorded to accompany his book Temple of Science: The Pre-Raphaelites and Oxford University Museum of Natural History, John Holmes takes us on a guided tour of the art and architecture of the museum, revealing how leading scientists collaborated with...