William Sterling

The Eighteenth Century Enlightenment, exemplified by the British Museum Enlightenment Gallery, altered our interpretations of the past. In the morning we offer an overview of this movement and in the afternoon we study key artefacts in the museum including the critically important Rosetta Stone.

The museum was founded in 1753 so is part of Modern European culture in its own right and this is reflected in the Enlightenment Gallery. The other galleries trace the development of European culture in ceramics, glass, metalwork and jewellery among other crafts. Works examined include Italian maiolica, French painted enamels, early English ceramics by John Dwight, a rare set of Garter insignia, Chinese porcelain rescued from shipwrecks, gold work by Paul Storr and others, the Hull Grundy jewellery bequest as well as a selection of the magnificent collection of clocks.