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Knitted together: the Korean lives and legacies of Richard and Joan Rutt

Drawing on the objects and photographs of the main donors to the Korean collection at the Oriental Museum, Knitted Together details Richard and Joan Rutt’s 20 years living in South Korea in the immediate aftermath of the Korean War (1950 – 1953).

The exhibition is set in three parts – a photography exhibition of Richard Rutt’s photographs of Korea taken between 1954 – 1974. An installation in the permanent Korea Gallery focuses on the impact of the Rutt collection on the development of the Korean collection at the museum. The third part is a special temporary exhibition that focuses on the legacies of Richard and Joan Rutt.

man and a woman sit at a table covered with bowls of food

Upcoming events

Friends of the Oriental Museum: International Projects Update

Wednesday 11 December, 2024
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Image of Oriental Museum curator Gillian Ramsay and Dr. Aziz

Cool Coral

Saturday 14 December, 2024
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Ceramic sculpture of coral, glazed pink with hundred of small rounded spikes in a ball shape with a golden top and golden dot in the middle.

Countdown to Christmas Craft Worksop

Saturday 21 December, 2024
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Image of a blue bauble decorated with white flowers and golden edges.

Flaming Flies

Saturday 4 January, 2025
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Image showing 6 colouring pens, an open pair of scissors, a glue stick and a paper cut out fly attached to string.

Plan Your Visit

Find out everything you need to know to get the most from our visit: how to find us, opening times and more. Plus, everything you need to know if you or anyone in your group has any special needs or requirements.

‘The Orient’ is not an area with defined geographical boundaries. The term can mean widely differing things to different people. In the case of the Oriental Museum, the definition is a wide one indeed, with the collections covering a huge area from North Africa to South East Asia. This is the legacy of the origins of the Oriental Museum in the teaching of oriental languages at Durham University.

 

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Our collections

Find out more about the history of the museum and our collections.

  • China

    This internationally important collection has strengths in ceramics and jade.
    Qing dynasty imperial dragon robe
  • Egypt and Sudan

    More than 7000 objects ranging in date from prehistory to the Christian Period.
    Anhydrite cosmetics flask in the form of a trussed duck dating to the 2nd Intermediate Period
  • Japan

    The fastest growing collection boosted by significant recent donations of ceramics and woodblock prints.
    Ivory carving of a weaver and his family, dated to around 1913

China

This internationally important collection has strengths in ceramics and jade.
Qing dynasty imperial dragon robe

Egypt and Sudan

More than 7000 objects ranging in date from prehistory to the Christian Period.
Anhydrite cosmetics flask in the form of a trussed duck dating to the 2nd Intermediate Period

Japan

The fastest growing collection boosted by significant recent donations of ceramics and woodblock prints.
Ivory carving of a weaver and his family, dated to around 1913
Group of stone objects with ties around them to attach labels, with museum object numbers tied to them

Search our collections

We welcome anyone who wishes to study our collections. Find out more about searching our collections online and how to make a research appointment.

Search our collections
A child examining a stone

Learning and Engagement

The Oriental Museum has a range of activities, workshops and events for schools, home learners, families, visitors and a range of groups.

Schools and Home Learning Families and Lifelong Learning
This is a fabulous small specialist museum, containing exhibits from China, Japan, India and Egypt among others. It contains a fascinating range of artifacts, beautifully curated and accompanied by commentaries, videos, etc.. It is on four levels, but accessible to all. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable…. We spent a couple of hours, but could easily have stayed longer, as each exhibit is worthy of attention. One of our best experiences when visiting Durham.
Katyportwood
United Kingdom
2019 Malaysia Museums Workshop in Kuala Lumpur

International Partnerships

We support learning, teaching and research across the University and worldwide. Oriental Museum curators are currently working in partnership with museums across Asia on a range of collections research and exhibition projects.

Find our more about our international partnerships

Nearby attractions

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Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre

Find out everything you need to know to make the most of your visit to Durham.
Cosin's Library Bookcases

Durham Castle

Sitting at the heart of Durham's World Heritage Site and occupied continuously since the 11th century.
A Castle Tour in the Great Hall of Durham Castle.

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