Thousands of treasures are now available at the click of a button

People around the world will now have access to thousands of items not currently on display, as well as the Trust’s most famous pieces.

Works uploaded so far include paintings by William Etty from York Art Gallery, medieval and Roman treasures from the Yorkshire Museum and costumes from York Castle Museum.

Among those online from the Yorkshire Museum are a colourful 14th century glass roundel depicting the head and shoulders of a king against a ruby ground surrounded by a border of olive green, and a sculpture of Moses, part of the St Mary’s Abbey collection.

Other treasures now online include the medieval Middleham Jewel; the 8th century York Helmet; the Escrick Ring and the recently found Bedale Hoard,

Martin Fell, digital team leader for York Museums Trust, said: “The collections looked after by York Museums Trust are vast - spanning from the prehistoric up to the present day. They are all nationally designated, meaning they are of national importance.

“This is a groundbreaking project which enables people from all over the world to access the thousands of objects the Trust takes care of.”

More than 50,000 of the entries include images, and the Trust is uploading new images as they are being taken. Some more modern works of art will not include photographs while they are still subject to copyright.

“York Museums Trust is at the forefront of putting images of our collections into the public domain for people to use and enjoy in any way they see fit,” Mr Fell added. “We believe it is a fantastic opportunity to spread the word about the strength of York’s collections, get more people interested in them and attract visitors to this historic city and its wonderful museums.”

The online collection can be seen at www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk.