Ruskin treasures finally revealed

The Ruskin Collection at the Millennium Gallery closed last year for a major refurbishment, but has now reopened with the replacement of almost all of the works previously on show.

A spokesman for the gallery said visitors would have a “brand new experience”.

The exhibition space is dedicated to displaying the unique collection amassed by the world-famous Victorian artist and scholar, who sought to inspire the people of Sheffield with the remarkable set of art and artefacts.

New objects going on display include four large-scale, hand-coloured ornithological engravings from the 1800s drawn by John James Audubon, an illustrated copy of The Knight’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer from 1545, and an original German Froschauer Bible dating back to 1540.

Famed for its beautiful illustrations, the Froschauer Bible is one of the very first Bibles not to be printed in Latin.

In the redisplay of the Ruskin Collection, the museum has been able to include some larger pieces from the archives after the gallery was completely revamped last year at a cost of £200,000.

Changes saw a total redesign of the gallery space, new display cases and lighting and new audio visual interpretation.

Displays are now changed twice a year in order to enable more of the large collection to go on show.

Louise Pullen, curator of the Ruskin Collection, said: “Until the refurbishment of the gallery last year we weren’t able to hang large works or show the larger-scale books due to the confined spaces and small cases.

“We’re delighted that the new displays give us the chance to regularly share more and more of these wonderful objects.”

The Ruskin Collection has now reopened and admission is free.