British Museum

views updated May 18 2018

British Museum One of the world's greatest public collections of art, ethnography, and archaeology (established 1753). Its first displays came from a private collection purchased from the naturalist, Sir Hans Sloane. Later additions included the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. The present building by Sir Robert Smirke was completed in 1847. The museum contains several separate departments, including the Museum of Mankind, and the Department of Prints and Drawings, which houses works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Michelangelo, as well as many examples of Oriental art.

http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

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