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Blog

Enjoy the latest news and stories from the British Museum.

A silk purse showing two colourful embroidered figures, one dressed as a tiger, in a garden scene.

Exhibitions and events / 17 May 2023

China's talismanic tigers

Discover why and how tigers were used as symbols of bravery in traditional Chinese culture.

The front of a grand three storey house with lawns edged with small shrubs in front

Museum stories / 23 June 2017

Montagu House: the first British Museum

Museum Archivist Francesca Hillier takes us through the fascinating history of the first building to house the British Museum's collection,.

Courtesans seated in a room while outside passersby, some with lamps, look through bars at the courtesans

Exhibitions and events / 18 June 2017

Hokusai and Ōi: art runs in the family

Julie Nelson Davis discusses the relationship between Hokusai and his daughter Katsushika Ōi, an accomplished artist in her own right.

Artwork depicting Mt Fuji in clear weather and an FCIR image of the artwork used to identify the type of ink used.

Exhibitions and events / 15 June 2017

Not fade away: preventive conservation on Hokusai prints

Capucine Korenberg explains how she investigated the risks of displaying iconic Hokusai woodblock prints from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Women enacting the process of cutting and printing woodblocks for popular prints

Exhibitions and events / 10 June 2017

The technique of making a good impression

Japanese woodblock prints are renowned for their exquisite detail. Alfred Haft reveals how block cutters and printers helped to create them.

Artist's impression of a Scythian next to his horse. The man in tall hat and thick clothing has his back to the viewer and is looking to the right

Exhibitions and events / 30 May 2017

Introducing the Scythians

A handy beginner's guide to the nomadic warriors, who flourished from around 900 BC to 200BC , galloping into the pages of history…

A woman and a man use large brushes to help bond lining paper and calligraphy together

Museum stories / 24 May 2017

Working at the Hirayama Studio

The Museum has a conservation studio just for East Asian paintings. Matthias Sotiras writes about his time in this unique work environment.

A videographer films the reconstruction of a large print, which is laid out on a table

Objects in focus / 21 May 2017

Conserving Dürer’s Triumphal Arch: Getting the big picture

As the project to conserve Dürer's Triumphal Arch ends conservators work with the Hirayama Studio to prepare the print for display.

Head of an elderly man who is balding and has wrinkled skin and bulbous eyes

Exhibitions and events / 10 May 2017

Hokusai: old master

Curator Tim Clark reveals why Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave focuses on the last 30 years of the artist's extraordinarily long life.

Artist's book containing a picture of a man standing next to a boat

Exhibitions and events / 21 April 2017

Ali’s Boat: a story of migration

Venetia Porter and Holly Wright discuss Sadik Kwaish Alfraji artwork Ali’s Boat, which tells a personal story of exile and migration.

Three cats on a bench outside the British Museum

Podcasts / 12 April 2017

The British Museum podcast: The purrrplexing story of the British Museum cats

Did you know that cats used to live at the Museum? Nick Harris takes us through his podcast on this surprising aspect of Museum history.

Statue of Idrimi, king of Alalakh, made of carved magnesite with glass eyes set into the eye-sockets, heavily weathered.

Objects in focus / 10 April 2017

Idrimi, the 3,500-year-old refugee

James Fraser explains why the inscription on the statue of King Idrimi is one of the most important cuneiform documents ever found.

Objects in focus / 14 March 2017

Mary Beard's top five powerful women in ancient Greece and Rome

Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge gives us a countdown of five notable female figures from the ancient world.