OXFORD.- The Bodleian Libraries’ exhibition, Treasured, offers a rare chance to encounter some of the most extraordinary books, manuscripts and items in its collections. From illuminated medieval texts to modern photography, including works by Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, and JRR Tolkien, the exhibition shines a light on the human stories behind the archive, exploring what makes an object precious and to whom.
Bringing together a variety of treasured objects from across time periods and cultures, Treasured invites visitors to reflect on the meaning of value. From ancient artefacts to modern works, the exhibition is shaped by a central question: what makes something a treasure? Is it age, rarity, beauty, or something more personal or profound?
The exhibition showcases the wealth of the Libraries’ collections, spanning manuscripts, photographs, religious texts, and paintings. Alongside its more ornamented items, Treasured spotlights seemingly modest items that, upon closer examination, reveal extraordinary detail and historical significance, reminding us that value often lies in context as much as appearance. Among them is one of the final wireless transmissions sent during the search for the Titanic, an example of how simple objects can carry immense emotional and historical weight.
Treasured also reflects how our ideas of value are evolving. From photographs documenting LGBTQ life in India leading up to the decriminalisation of homosexuality, to cards, figurines, and notes from playwright Alan Bennett’s mantlepiece — ordinary objects charged with meaning — the exhibition explores how contemporary treasures are often rooted in identity, memory, and belonging.
Treasured takes a global approach that reaches beyond the remit of traditional treasure exhibitions and reflects the Bodleian’s expanding audiences. With half of the exhibition’s items originating from outside Western history, Treasured unpicks the complicated legacy of libraries and collections, showcasing objects with more controversial histories. Among the objects is one of the most important copies of Homer’s Iliad, dating back to 2nd century Egypt and discovered beneath the head of a buried woman, inviting further reflection on the ethics behind acquiring, interpreting, and treasuring ancient materials.
The exhibition also spotlights items previously considered ‘everyday’ but which have gained significance and value over time, for example, a red coral baby rattle once owned by Percy Bysshe Shelley. A special ‘Lost and Found' section uncovers the surprising journeys of items that entered the Bodleian collections by chance, only to reveal extraordinary value. Among them is a book brought in by an Assyrian Christian refugee, later identified as a rare 10th—11th century work by Isaac the Syrian of Nineveh, an important text the scholarly community had long been attempting to track down.
The exhibition is curated by Boya Zhang (KB Chen China Centre Library), Lydia Heeley (Bern and Ronny Schwartz Curator of Photography), Peter Tóth (Cornelia Starks Curator of Greek Collections), Charlotte Ross (Bodleian Libraries), Andrew Dunning (RW Hunt Curator of Medieval Manuscripts), and Nicholas Kontovas (Nizami Ganjavi Curator for the Caucasus, Central Asia and Türkiye).
Spanning over three millennia, additional highlights include: a Gutenberg Bible, the first printed bible in Europe from the 15th century; the 13th century Ashmole Bestiary; the earliest surviving printed advertisement in the English language, from the 15th century, known as The Caxton Advertisement; the 5th-century Bower Manuscript, one of the oldest surviving Sanskrit manuscripts; the Yongle Encyclopedia; an illuminated Romance of Alexander; 15th—16th century Persian astrological charts that informed the Gregorian Calendar; Jane Austen juvenilia; and the 10th-century MacRegol Gospels.
Celebrating the centenary of the Friends of the Bodleian, the exhibition also presents a ‘Reader’s Choice’ case, featuring a draft notebook of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, among other items.
