Winchester College Treasury, MUSEUM OF ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY | Page 4

Six Centuries
of Collecting

In the 16th and 17th centuries many donors gave
silver for use in Chapel or at the Warden’s table. The
collection of early silver at Winchester is now one of
the most important in the county.

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In the late 19th century the school began collecting
ancient artefacts and natural specimens to support
its teaching, and in the 1890s a museum (known as
Musã) was built to display them. Greek vases bought in
Athens were shown alongside casts of classical statutes,
fossils, stuffed birds and geological specimens.

inchester College was
founded in 1382
and began educating
boys in 1394. Over the
past six centuries the
school has acquired
many objects of great
beauty and significance.
Most of these have been
given as gifts: from alumni
and the parents of pupils,
from teachers, headmasters
and chaplains, and from the
wardens and fellows who have
governed the College.

In the 20th century the College received important
bequests of Chinese ceramics and English watercolours.

The first gifts to the
College were illuminated
manuscripts from the
library of the Founder,
William of Wykeham. These
and other books are often on display in Treasury.

The museum includes
a collection of early
English silver that
is one of the
most important
in the country

ELECTION CUP,
SILVER-GILT,
LATE 15TH CENTURY
CHINESE PORCELAIN
DISH, MING DYNASTY,
EARLY 15TH CENTURY

BLACK-FIGURE CUP
BY THE THESEUS PAINTER,
520-500 BC

MUSÃ IN THE EARLY
20TH CENTURY