The Ashmolean Museum Expands Licensing Collection

The Ashmolean Museum has added five new licensees to its licensing program. The new licensees that have recently come on board are:

Atlantic Mats is developing a range of mats inspired by artefacts from the museum, such as Iznik tiles and a Jali screen. The museum has a set of 48 glazed ceramic tiles in its Eastern Art Collection while the Jali screen is part of a set of Mughal screens that the museum believes were used to display Indian Art in the nineteenth century.

China Petals is developing a range of mosaic kits with designs inspired by artefacts from the museum. The kits come with all the elements needed to complete a project, including mosaic tiles, grout and glue. There are three products in the Ashmolean range, including a Flower Mosaic Coaster Kit with the featured design sourced from a block-printed textile fragment and a butterfly mosaic kit inspired by a design from the museum’s Worcester Porcelain collection.

Gibson’s Organic Liqueurs is developing a range of liqueurs using ingredients such as crab apples. Based in Oxfordshire, U.K., Gibson’s liqueurs are made using only fruit and flowers grown on their organic farm.

Jericho Coffee Traders is the latest beverage company to partner with the Ashmolean. Coffee drinking has been a mainstay of Oxford life since the seventeenth century. Jericho Coffee Traders is based at the heart of Oxford’s High Street in a building that was one of the first coffee houses in the city. Inspired by this heritage, the Ashmolean has teamed up with the company to present a heritage blend. The blend is sold in a tin that features Turner’s painting of Oxford High Street, which is part of the Ashmolean’s collection.

The Oxfordshire-based Indian Block Print Company produces block printing kits. The Ashmolean has a rich collection from South Asia, which is helping to inspire creativity. Each block is authentically carved in collaboration with Indian carvers using a sustainable model.

“It is very satisfying to see these new licensees come on board,” says Ian Downes, director, Start Licensing, the Ashmolean’s licensing agency. “They are joining a licensing program that is enjoying great success both in qualitative and quantitative terms. Existing licensees, such as Park London have delivered successful apparel collections across a range of retailers whilst Graphenstone Paints have picked up a number of industry awards for their Ashmolean paint collection.

“These new licensees dovetail well with some of the key objectives we have, including working with local Oxfordshire businesses and being proactive where possible around sustainability. It is also great to be working with a number of ‘new to licensing’ companies – they bring fresh thinking and are reaching new market sectors. It is also good to see core categories like arts and crafts, plus home interiors growing as well.”

“We are delighted to welcome our new partners to the Ashmolean’s licensing program,” says Dec McCarthy, head, publishing and licensing, The Ashmolean Museum. “The diversity and creativity is truly inspirational and I feel that we are finding many inventive ways to showcase the museum’s incredible collections to a wider audience. We ensure close collaboration with all our licensees and work through every step of the development stages. It really is my definition of a true partnership.”