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The British Museum was established in 1853, making its collections freely accessible to the public from its inception.
Answer: False
The British Museum was established on June 7, 1753, not 1853, and was indeed the first public national museum, making its collections freely accessible.
Sir Hans Sloane's collection, which formed the basis of the British Museum, was primarily composed of ancient Roman and Greek sculptures.
Answer: False
Sir Hans Sloane's collection was diverse, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, natural history specimens, prints, drawings, and antiquities from various regions, not primarily Roman and Greek sculptures.
Sir Hans Sloane was a wealthy Jamaican planter whose widow he married, which helped him amass his collection.
Answer: False
Sir Hans Sloane was a London-based physician and naturalist. He married the widow of a wealthy Jamaican planter, which helped him amass his collection, but he himself was not a planter.
Parliament paid Sir Hans Sloane's heirs the full estimated value of his collection, which was between £50,000 and £80,000.
Answer: False
While Sloane's collection was estimated to be worth between £50,000 and £80,000, Parliament paid his heirs a sum of £20,000 for it.
The Lindisfarne Gospels and the sole surviving manuscript of Beowulf were part of the British Museum's initial foundation collections.
Answer: True
The foundation collections included many treasured books now in the British Library, such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the sole surviving manuscript of *Beowulf*.
Buckingham House was chosen as the initial location for the British Museum due to its central location and affordability.
Answer: False
Buckingham House was rejected by the trustees due to its cost and unsuitable location; Montagu House was chosen instead.
The British Museum first opened its exhibition galleries and reading room to the public in 1759.
Answer: True
The first exhibition galleries and reading room for scholars at the British Museum opened on January 15, 1759.
Daniel Solander's work in 1763 helped make the museum's natural history collection more accessible by reclassifying it using the Linnaean system.
Answer: True
Daniel Solander was employed in 1763 to reclassify the natural history collection according to the Linnaean system, enhancing its accessibility for natural historians.
The museum's first significant acquisition of antiquities was the Rosetta Stone in 1802.
Answer: False
The museum's first significant acquisition of antiquities was Sir William Hamilton's 'first' collection of Greek vases in 1772. The Rosetta Stone was presented in 1802.
When was the British Museum established, making its collections freely accessible to the public?
Answer: June 7, 1753
The British Museum was established on June 7, 1753, as the first public national museum, making its collections freely accessible.
Upon whose extensive collections was the British Museum largely founded at its inception?
Answer: Sir Hans Sloane
At its inception, the museum was largely based on the extensive collections of the Anglo-Irish physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane.
What was Sir Hans Sloane's profession?
Answer: London-based physician and naturalist
Sir Hans Sloane was a London-based physician and naturalist.
What was the approximate value Parliament paid for Sir Hans Sloane's collection?
Answer: £20,000
Parliament paid Sir Hans Sloane's heirs a sum of £20,000 for the collection.
Which significant libraries were added to the British Museum's foundation collections in 1753 and 1757?
Answer: The Cottonian Library, the Harleian Library, and the 'Old Royal Library'
The Cottonian Library and the Harleian Library were added in 1753, and the 'Old Royal Library' joined in 1757.
What building served as the initial location for the British Museum?
Answer: Montagu House
The museum was initially located in Montagu House, a converted 17th-century mansion.
When did the British Museum first open its exhibition galleries and reading room to the public?
Answer: January 15, 1759
The first exhibition galleries and reading room for scholars at the British Museum opened on January 15, 1759.
What was the museum's first significant acquisition of antiquities in 1772?
Answer: Sir William Hamilton's 'first' collection of Greek vases
In 1772, the museum acquired its first significant antiquities with Sir William Hamilton's 'first' collection of Greek vases.
King George III presented the Elgin Marbles to the British Museum in 1802.
Answer: False
King George III presented the Rosetta Stone in 1802. The Elgin Marbles were acquired by Act of Parliament in 1816 from Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin.
Sir Robert Smirke was the neoclassical architect tasked with planning the expansion of the British Museum in the late 19th century.
Answer: False
Sir Robert Smirke was tasked with planning the expansion in the early 19th century, specifically from 1802, not the late 19th century.
The discovery of the great library of cuneiform tablets belonging to Ashurbanipal in Assyria made the British Museum a focal point for Egyptian studies.
Answer: False
The discovery of Ashurbanipal's cuneiform tablets made the museum a focal point for Assyrian studies, not Egyptian studies.
Under Anthony Panizzi's supervision, the British Museum Library became the largest library in the world, surpassing the National Library of Paris.
Answer: False
Under Panizzi's supervision, the British Museum Library became recognized as the largest library in the world after the National Library of Paris, not surpassing it.
The circular Reading Room in the central quadrangle was designed by Sir Robert Smirke and opened in 1857.
Answer: False
The circular Reading Room was designed by Sir Robert Smirke's brother, Sydney Smirke, and opened in 1857.
Augustus Wollaston Franks expanded the museum's collecting scope to include British and European medieval antiquities, prehistory, and Asian ethnography from 1851.
Answer: True
With the appointment of Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1851, the museum began to collect British and European medieval antiquities, prehistory, and diversified into Asian ethnography.
Electric lighting was introduced in the Reading Room and exhibition galleries between 1875 and 1900.
Answer: True
Electric lighting was indeed introduced in the Reading Room and exhibition galleries during the period of 1875 and 1900.
The Waddesdon Bequest stipulated that its collection of objets d'art et de vertu be integrated with other museum contents.
Answer: False
The Waddesdon Bequest specifically stipulated that the collection be placed in a special room, separate from other museum contents, and kept there permanently.
The gallery for the Parthenon sculptures, funded by Sir Joseph Duveen, was designed by a British architect and completed in 1931.
Answer: False
The gallery for the Parthenon sculptures was designed by the American architect John Russell Pope and completed in 1938, not 1931.
The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, the largest covered square in Europe, was created after the British Library moved out in 1998.
Answer: True
After the British Library moved in 1998, the central quadrangle was redeveloped into the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, which opened in 2000 and is the largest covered square in Europe.
The pediment over the main entrance of the British Museum depicts 'The Progress of Civilisation' through allegorical figures.
Answer: True
The pediment over the main entrance is decorated by sculptures depicting 'The Progress of Civilisation' through fifteen allegorical figures, installed in 1852.
The British Museum's facade is faced with Haytor granite, while the perimeter walls use Portland stone.
Answer: False
The museum's facade is faced with Portland stone, while the perimeter walls and other parts of the building were constructed using Haytor granite.
What major artifact did King George III present to the museum in 1802, crucial for deciphering hieroglyphs?
Answer: The Rosetta Stone
In 1802, King George III presented the Rosetta Stone to the British Museum, which proved to be key to the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Who was responsible for acquiring the large collection of marble sculptures from the Parthenon for the British Museum?
Answer: Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, removed a large collection of marble sculptures from the Parthenon, which were then acquired by the British Museum in 1816.
Which neoclassical architect was tasked with planning the expansion of the British Museum in the early 19th century?
Answer: Sir Robert Smirke
Sir Robert Smirke, a neoclassical architect, was asked in 1802 to draw up plans for an eastern extension and eventually for today's quadrangular building.
What important discovery, supported by the museum, was made during excavations in Assyria in the 1840s and 1850s?
Answer: The library of cuneiform tablets belonging to Ashurbanipal
During excavations in Assyria, the great library of cuneiform tablets belonging to Ashurbanipal was discovered, making the museum a focal point for Assyrian studies.
What architectural feature was added to the central quadrangle at Anthony Panizzi's request?
Answer: A circular Reading Room of cast iron
At Panizzi's request, the quadrangle at the center of Smirke's design was filled by a circular Reading Room of cast iron, designed by Sydney Smirke.
Which individual expanded the museum's collecting scope from 1851 to include British and European medieval antiquities, prehistory, and Asian ethnography?
Answer: Augustus Wollaston Franks
With the appointment of Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1851, the museum began to collect British and European medieval antiquities, prehistory, and diversified into Asian ethnography.
What technological innovation was introduced to the Reading Room and exhibition galleries between 1875 and 1900?
Answer: Electric lighting
Electric lighting was introduced in the Reading Room and exhibition galleries between 1875 and 1900, marking a time of innovation for the museum.
What was the specific stipulation of the Waddesdon Bequest?
Answer: The collection must be placed in a special room, separate from other museum contents, permanently.
The Waddesdon Bequest stipulated that the collection be placed in a special room, separate from other museum contents, and kept there permanently.
What major architectural development transformed the central quadrangle of the British Museum after the British Library moved out?
Answer: The creation of the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court
After the British Library moved in 1998, the central quadrangle was redeveloped into the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, which opened in 2000.
What is depicted on the pediment over the main entrance of the British Museum?
Answer: The Progress of Civilisation
The pediment over the main entrance is decorated by sculptures depicting 'The Progress of Civilisation' through fifteen allegorical figures.
What material is used for the British Museum's facade?
Answer: Portland stone
The museum's facade is faced with Portland stone.
The British Museum houses the world's largest collection of Egyptian antiquities, surpassing even the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Answer: False
The British Museum houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The Department of Prints and Drawings holds the national collection of Western prints and drawings, covering from the 14th century to the present.
Answer: True
The Department of Prints and Drawings holds the national collection of Western prints and drawings, comprising approximately 50,000 drawings and over two million prints, covering the period from the 14th century to the present.
The 'Swimming Reindeer' carving, an example of Ice Age art, is from France and dates to approximately 13,000 years BC.
Answer: True
The 'Swimming Reindeer' carving is an example of Ice Age art from France, dating to approximately 13,000 years BC.
The 'Mold gold cape' is a unique Iron Age artifact found in Scotland.
Answer: False
The 'Mold gold cape' is a unique Bronze Age artifact found in Mold, North Wales, not an Iron Age artifact from Scotland.
The 'Admonitions Scroll' is a famous Japanese painting by the artist Gu Kaizhi.
Answer: False
The 'Admonitions Scroll' is a famous Chinese painting by the artist Gu Kaizhi, not Japanese.
The 'Hoa Hakananai'a' is a Moai figure from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) dating to around 1000 AD.
Answer: True
The 'Hoa Hakananai'a' is a Moai, a monumental human figure, from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), dating to around 1000 AD.
The 'Double-headed serpent' is a turquoise mosaic created by the Maya culture in Mexico.
Answer: False
The 'Double-headed serpent' is a turquoise mosaic created by the Aztec culture in Mexico, not the Maya.
The 'Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III' is an important Assyrian inscription depicting Jehu, King of Israel.
Answer: True
The 'Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III' is an important Assyrian inscription from Nimrud, notably depicting Jehu, King of Israel.
Which two Wonders of the Ancient World are represented in the Department of Greece and Rome's collection?
Answer: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos
The Greek collection includes elements of two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos.
What is the significance of the British Museum's collection of Egyptian antiquities?
Answer: It is the largest and most comprehensive outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The British Museum houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
What is the 'Swimming Reindeer' carving, and where is it from?
Answer: An Ice Age art piece from France.
The 'Swimming Reindeer' carving is an example of Ice Age art from France, dating to approximately 13,000 years BC.
The 'Mold gold cape' is a unique artifact from which period?
Answer: Bronze Age
The 'Mold gold cape' is a unique cape made of gold sheet from the Bronze Age, dating to approximately 1900–1600 BC.
Who created the famous Chinese painting known as the 'Admonitions Scroll'?
Answer: Gu Kaizhi
The 'Admonitions Scroll' is a famous Chinese painting by the artist Gu Kaizhi.
From where does the 'Hoa Hakananai'a' Moai figure originate?
Answer: Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
The 'Hoa Hakananai'a' is a Moai figure from Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Which culture created the 'Double-headed serpent' turquoise mosaic?
Answer: Aztec
The 'Double-headed serpent' is a turquoise mosaic created by the Aztec culture in Mexico.
What is the 'Oxus Treasure' known for?
Answer: Being the largest ancient Persian hoard of gold artifacts.
The 'Oxus Treasure' is known as the largest ancient Persian hoard of gold artifacts and the most important surviving collection of Achaemenid Persian metalwork.
What is the 'Chaucer Astrolabe' known for?
Answer: Being the oldest dated astrolabe in Europe.
The 'Chaucer Astrolabe' is notable for being the oldest dated astrolabe in Europe, from 1326 AD.
Where was the 'Royal Gold Cup' (Saint Agnes Cup) made?
Answer: Paris, France
The 'Royal Gold Cup' was made in Paris, France, between 1370–80 AD.
Who bequeathed the 'Holy Thorn Reliquary' as part of the Waddesdon Bequest?
Answer: Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild
The 'Holy Thorn Reliquary' was bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild as part of the Waddesdon Bequest.
What period of Japanese art does 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' represent?
Answer: Japanese pre-20th century art
'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' represents a highlight of the Japanese pre-20th century art collection.
Who designed the contemporary 'Rosetta Vase'?
Answer: Grayson Perry
The 'Rosetta Vase' is an earthenware pottery vase designed by the contemporary British artist Grayson Perry in 2011.
The British Library became legally separate from the British Museum in 1973 but continued to share the same building until 1997.
Answer: True
The British Library Act 1972 legally detached the library department from the British Museum in 1973, but it remained in the same building until 1997.
The establishment of a permanent conservation laboratory in 1931 was a direct result of objects deteriorating during wartime storage in 1919.
Answer: True
The deterioration of antiquities returned from wartime storage in 1919 led to the establishment of a conservation laboratory, which became a permanent department in 1931.
The British Museum Act of 1963 granted full independence to the Natural History Museum and made it easier to lend objects.
Answer: True
The 1963 Act of Parliament introduced reforms that made it easier to lend objects and granted full independence to the Natural History Museum.
The 'Treasures of Tutankhamun' exhibition in 1972 was the most successful exhibition in British history at that time, attracting over 1.6 million visitors.
Answer: True
The 'Treasures of Tutankhamun' exhibition in 1972 attracted 1,694,117 visitors, making it the most successful exhibition in British history at that time.
The British Museum's policy on restitution is to return all artifacts to their original geographical sites to avoid depleting major museums.
Answer: False
The British Museum maintains that the 'restitutionist premise' would deplete major museums worldwide and cites the British Museum Act of 1963, which prevents the disposal of objects once they have entered its collection.
The British Museum has entered into preliminary negotiations with the Greek government regarding the future of the Rosetta Stone.
Answer: False
The British Museum entered into preliminary negotiations with the Greek government concerning the future of the Parthenon sculptures (Elgin Marbles), not the Rosetta Stone.
After 2005, UK law was changed to grant museums additional powers to return Nazi-looted art or provide compensation.
Answer: True
Following a 2005 ruling, the law was changed in 2009 and again in 2022, granting museums additional powers to return Nazi-looted art or provide compensation.
The British Museum faced criticism in January 2025 for referring to Tibet as 'Xizang,' the preferred term of the Chinese government.
Answer: True
In January 2025, Tibetan human rights groups criticized the British Museum for using 'Xizang' to refer to Tibet, which is the preferred term of the Chinese government.
What led to the establishment of a permanent conservation laboratory at the British Museum in 1931?
Answer: The deterioration of objects returned from wartime storage.
The establishment of a permanent conservation laboratory in 1931 was a direct result of the deterioration of objects returned from wartime storage in 1919.
Which temporary exhibition in 1972 attracted a record number of visitors to the British Museum?
Answer: 'Treasures of Tutankhamun'
The temporary exhibition 'Treasures of Tutankhamun' in 1972 attracted a record 1,694,117 visitors.
What is the British Museum's general stance on the 'restitutionist premise' for artifacts?
Answer: It believes it would deplete major museums worldwide and cites the British Museum Act of 1963.
The British Museum maintains that the 'restitutionist premise' would deplete major museums worldwide and cites the British Museum Act of 1963, which prevents the disposal of objects once they have entered its collection.
What legal development occurred in the UK regarding Nazi-looted art after 2005?
Answer: The law was changed to grant museums additional powers to return such art or provide compensation.
Following a 2005 ruling, the law was changed in 2009 and again in 2022, granting museums additional powers to return Nazi-looted art or provide compensation.
The British Museum's permanent collection is the largest globally, documenting human culture from its earliest beginnings to the present day.
Answer: True
The museum's permanent collection is indeed the largest in the world, comprising approximately eight million objects, and documents human culture from its earliest beginnings to the present day.
In 2023, the British Museum was ranked as the second most popular attraction in the United Kingdom, receiving over 5 million visitors.
Answer: False
In 2023, the British Museum received 5,820,860 visitors and was ranked as the most popular attraction in the United Kingdom, not the second most.
What is the primary focus of the British Museum?
Answer: Human history, art, and culture
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture.
Approximately how many objects comprise the British Museum's permanent collection?
Answer: Eight million objects
The museum's permanent collection comprises approximately eight million objects.
In 2023, what was the British Museum's national ranking in terms of popularity in the United Kingdom?
Answer: Most popular attraction
In 2023, the British Museum was ranked as the most popular attraction in the United Kingdom.