Sydney University Quadrangle Gothic Revival Style
In 2010, The Nicholson Museum, Sydney’s, and perhaps Australia’s best kept secret, will celebrate its 150th year with a special exhibition that will run for nearly twelve months. It is entitled Charles Nicholson: Man and Museum (see details below)
My understanding is that the Nicholson Museum is the second largest teaching collection of ancient artifacts in the world, certainly the biggest such collection in Australia.
It is a stunning array from many ancient civilisations and humbling in that there are so many objects we will recognise and connect with, despite them having been created thousands of years ago.
Entrance Nicholson Museum, Sydney University
Sir Charles Nicholson was one of the founders of the University of Sydney. He was a visionary dedicated to bringing the cultural wealth of England and Europe Australia so that for centuries to come descendants of the people who migrated here from that part of the world in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries would understand about their ancestors and the traditions associated with their collective cultural heritage.
In 1856 Nicholson travelled to Egypt and Europe where he purchased many artifacts, which were readily available for purchase at the time. In 1860 these objects were moved from Nicholson’s house to three rooms in the Sydney University Quadrangle and the Nicholson Museum was founded.
The collection of the Nicholson Museum has been expanded over the years through fund-raising, bequests, acquisitions and excavations, resulting in collections of artifacts from Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Egypt, the Near and Middle East.
Located in rooms that form part of Sydney University’s original Gothic Revival Style Quadrangle it was my privilege for many years to work with a committee of dedicated people raising funds to assist the expansion of its collections and to aid the expansion of scholarly international research.
We all belonged to the Institute for Classical Archaeology guided over by much respected Alexander Cambitoglou AO, now Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology and Emeritus Curator of the Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney, and, Director of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens.
Walkies...
Today the Nicholson children and adults who visit are left in wonder at the richness of the ancient objects and enjoy being transported to different worlds without having to pack a bag or catch a plane.
If you haven’t been make a date to go soon. The good thing is because of Nicholson’s initiatives it is FREE.
When you go look out for my favourite artifact in the museum. It is a small blue faience tile, which depicts a man in Ancient Egypt (19th or 20th Dynasty New Kingdom 1570 – 1070 years before Christ) taking his dog for a walk on a lead. It gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘walkies’.
Exhibition: Charles Nicholson Man and Museum – 4th January to 17th December 2010
Time: 10:00 – 16:30 Monday – Friday |Not open Saturday | 12:00 – 16:00 Sunday
Location: Nicholson Museum Quadrangle A14 Cost: FREE
Enquiries: Michael Turner (02) 9351 2812 michael.turner@sydney.edu.au
Carolyn McDowall February 2010
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