The University of Oxford’s museum collections include some of the most distinguished and rare Renaissance musical instruments in existence. Among these treasures are the Stradivari violins held in the Ashmolean Museum’s Hill Collection and the 16th-century Basset Recorder made by the Bassano family, showcased in the Bate Collection.
In an innovative research project, advanced photogrammetry techniques are being utilized to produce high-resolution, fully interactive digital models of these unique musical instruments.
This process of digitisation is crucial for safeguarding these delicate historical objects while simultaneously offering new avenues for research and public engagement with Oxford’s storied musical heritage.
The project contributes to ongoing scholarly conversations in digital humanities and museum studies, exploring the advantages and constraints of digital representations for virtual museology. It also examines the role of these technologies in preserving, presenting, and providing access to both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, particularly in the context of challenges faced by museums following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Technologies such as 3D scanning and printing, photogrammetry, and augmented and virtual reality are transforming how audiences experience and interact with the material culture of music history.
Cittern (3D model), c.1570, attributed to Girolamo Virchi (c.1532–after 1574), Italy, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Beyond preservation, digitisation significantly improves accessibility to cultural heritage collections. The resulting interactive 3D models form part of the first-ever virtual museum collection of musical instruments, which allows users to explore these artifacts from any angle in fine detail online.
This digital archive is expected to become an essential resource supporting future conservation efforts, broadening public access, and facilitating educational use.
Project Team
Dr Emanuela Vai, Principal Investigator and Head of Research at Worcester College and the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, University of Oxford
Mr Colin Harrison, Senior Curator of the Western Art Collection at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Collaborations and Partnerships
This initiative involves partnerships with numerous institutions, individual academics, and graduate students dedicated to advancing the research and digital preservation of historic musical instruments.
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
