Dr Vicky Donnellan
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vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Dr Vicky Donnellan
@vickydonnellan.bsky.social
4.7K followers 510 following 180 posts
Curator for the reception of the ancient Mediterranean at the British Museum - PhD in classical archaeology and museum studies - Opinions my own - she/her
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Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
hardeepdhindsa.bsky.social
Next time you visit the Pre-Raphaelite galleries at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, keep an eye out for more information about my project, Victorian Art & Design and the Global!

More information available at: www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/about/what-w...
A museum text display with more information on upcoming redisplays at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
November 8, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
silverpebble2.bsky.social
Just added to my Etsy shop:
🌿final small print run of my '26 calendars
🪶my handmade recycled silver jewellery designs (incl intricate casts of real flowers)
🌸limited ed'n mounted art prints of my photos
💐tiny posy mental health kits
Last orders for📮 in time for🌲: 19 Nov
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/silv...
My individually handmade recycled silver jewellery including intricate casts of real flowers (snowdrop, bluebell etc), casts of dragonfly Wongs & jay feathers & my tiny wearable sculptures of much-loved British bird species One of my best-selling mounted art prints of flowers I grew & bought from an honesty florist Victorian ink bottles that form part of my tiny posy-making mental health kits-they make great gifts The 12 photos that make up my 2026 botanical calendar-each image is designed to improve mental health
November 5, 2025 at 9:21 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Couple of days leave this week while my daughter's off for half term. Today was a visit to Fashion and Textile Museum to see the "Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop" exhibition. Lots of familiar outfits for me to get excited about and good inspiration for daughter's GCSE textiles
Two mannequins with costumes from a Room with a View: white dress on left (worn by Helena Bonham Carter) and cream suit on right (worn by Maggie Smith) Mannequins with costumes for Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from the BBC Pride and Prejudice Mannequins with costumes worn by several key characters from Downton Abbey, including Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith View over main ground floor room of the exhibition from above, crowded with mannequins on raised platforms and lots of visitors
October 30, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
ics.bsky.social
Call for Papers: “Civilizing” the World: Classicism, Neo-Classical Sculpture, and Plaster Casts in the Service of Imperial Powers and Post-Colonial Elites (1780-1945)

Papers deadline: 1 December 2025
Conference dates: 22 - 23 October 2026

Full details here: ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
“Civilizing” the World: Classicism, Neo-Classical Sculpture, and Plaster Casts in the Service of Imperial Powers and Post-Colonial Elites (1780-1945)
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ics.sas.ac.uk
October 20, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
ics.bsky.social
Revisiting the Ancient Mediterranean World at the British Museum: Nature, the Environment, & Culture

4–6.30pm, Weds 5 Nov
In-person at Senate House
Full details and registration here: shorturl.at/h76mr

1/2
Revisiting the Ancient Mediterranean World at the British Museum: Nature, the Environment, and Culture
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shorturl.at
October 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
I've missed many days of #classicstober but I couldn't miss day 21 and Cerberus. Very rough and ready sketch, but I always think this bronze looks like such a good obedient little hellhound
Bad pencil sketch of small bronze figure of three-headed dog, sitting nicely with middle head looking sort-of perky and ready for action.
October 21, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
annanorth.bsky.social
I wrote about what Latin can teach us about toxic nostalgia and the anxieties of the powerful. Thank you @lithub.com.web.brid.gy
Anna North Thinks About the Roman Empire All the Time
My father does not like to give unsolicited advice, and when I was going off to college, he gave me no warnings about drugs, drinking, or boys. He did, however, give me one tip: “Don’t study Latin.…
lithub.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
sadiahqureshi.bsky.social
This collaborative PhD project with the LSE and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on Planting Decolonization: Plantation Science and Empire in the Twentieth Century, sounds amazing.

I’m sure many of you might be interested.

#STS #HPS #HistSci

www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse...
LSE Collaborative Studentship with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
LSE Collaborative Studentship with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
www.lse.ac.uk
October 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
leedsclassics.bsky.social
A week today! - Our first research seminar of the year with Dr Simon Glenn on ‘The Bactrian Mirage: coins and history in Hellenistic Central Asia’ on 16 October, 17:15-18:30 UK time. More details in the thread below. Please note the change of on campus venue to Michael Sadler 1.01. All welcome!
leedsclassics.bsky.social Classics at Leeds @leedsclassics.bsky.social · Sep 5
Our research seminars resume soon with a talk from Dr Simon Glenn (British Museum/ Leeds) on ‘The Bactrian Mirage: coins and history in Hellenistic Central Asia’ on Thursday 16 October, 17:15-18:30 UK time (venue and online joining instructions below).

All very welcome to attend!
October 9, 2025 at 2:09 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 7 of #classicstober and the theme is witch/sorceress. Pressed for time today so here is a 16th-century drawing showing Circe with Odysseus plus crew members transformed into pigs

@classicstober.bsky.social #classicstober25

drawing | British Museum share.google/w117nan5PeNJ...
drawing | British Museum
Ulysses and Circe; Ulysses in a boat with companions (in the form of pigs), Circe standing on the shore, offering him a vessel Pen and black ink, with red, blue, grey and brown wash, sheet cut down
share.google
October 7, 2025 at 8:23 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 6 of #classicstober and the theme is the Fates (moirai). Here's my quick rendition of the fabulous Fates from Disney's Hercules (a bit of a blend with the Graiai of day 3) #classicstober25 @classicstober.bsky.social
Pencil crayon and black fibre tip drawing of the Fates as featured in Disney film Hercules. Three caricatured old women draped in black. One sort of looks like a bird with a long beak, another sort of like a pig, maybe? The third has a long pointy chin and is holding an eyeball. They all have black eye sockets as they share that single eye. Lovely.
October 6, 2025 at 9:08 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 5 of #classicstober and another drawing of a British Museum object for the theme of Hermes Psychopompos: part of a column from Ephesus. Full object details below
##classicstober25 @classicstober.bsky.social
Pencil drawing of relief carving of Hermes, nude except for a cloak draped around his left arm, staff held in his right hand. Proportions are a bit off in the drawing, and best not to look too closely at the feet or hand
October 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Another Sunday walk in the Kent countryside today. This week I persuaded my daughter to join me, by bribing her with a tea shop visit at the end
View across a grassy field, line of autumnal trees at the end, low hill beyond. A path at far right. Photo of table with teapot and mismatching vintage teacups, plate with a slice of Victoria sponge and two forks. One of the forks is held by my daughter, mostly out of shot
October 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 4 of #classicstober and no chance to make art today so just sharing an object, or rather a lot of tiny objects! Beads found in a tomb in Vulci, which may have decorated a shroud (today's theme) #classicstober25 @classicstober.bsky.social
Circular tray divided into four, each section containing many tiny beads shaped like rings, sorted by colour: muted yellow, blue, red and green
October 4, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
hellenicsociety.bsky.social
Reminder: Regional Conference Grants - next deadline for applications is 1 November 2025
The Hellenic Society Council considers applications from Universities for a grant to assist an academic event in the field of Hellenic Studies.

www.hellenicsociety.org.uk/grants

#ClassicsBluesky 🏺
Grants | The Hellenic Journal | Study of Greek language | Hellenic Society
The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, generally known as the Hellenic Society, was founded in 1879 to advance the study of Greek language, literature, history, art and archaeology in the…
www.hellenicsociety.org.uk
October 3, 2025 at 6:38 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 3 of #classicstober and I have branched out into photo art. Inspired by the Graiai in Clash of the Titans, recreated using my face and an old paperweight of my husband's. Photo taken by my bewildered 11 year old son @classicstober.bsky.social #classicstober25
Close up photo of middle-aged woman's face (me). Left eye closed, large spherical glass paperweight held up in front of right eye, vaguely looking like an enlarged eyeball.
October 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 2 of #classicstober #classicstober25 and the theme is Thanatos: death. Here he is on a lekythos, gently carrying a warrior from the battlefield. Object link in the reply.
@classicstober.bsky.social
Pencil and coloured pencil drawing of figure of Thanatos from a white-ground lekythos. He has rather lovely swan-like wings, and great shaggy hair and beard
October 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
This is coming up soon! Free lecture and reception, on Friday 10th October. There are still places left - please come along and/or pass onto your networks
vickydonnellan.bsky.social Dr Vicky Donnellan @vickydonnellan.bsky.social · Sep 5
Free lecture by Prof Jaś Elsner at Senate House on 10th October. Book on the link below.

The 28th Denys Haynes Memorial Lecture

Monument, movement and the ritual body: ancient Indian, Roman and Greek art | British Museum share.google/glf556KROUQV...
Monument, movement and the ritual body: ancient Indian, Roman and Greek art
Join one of Britain's leading art historians, Jaś Elsner, for a look at the religious context of some of the great monuments of antiquity.
share.google
October 2, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
annabwilli.bsky.social
Come work with us!🏺
Together with my brilliant colleague Georgia Barker we are looking for a project curator to research how childhood is represented in the collections of our two departments at the British Museum, Egypt & Sudan and Greece & Rome. 👇👇👇

bmrecruit.ciphr-irecruit.com//templates/C...
Project Curator: Hidden Stories of Childhood Greece and Rome; Egypt and Sudan Full-time: 41 hours per week (including one hour paid lunch break) Fixed term for 12 months £36,396 per annum Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on 17 October 2025
bmrecruit.ciphr-irecruit.com
October 1, 2025 at 10:43 AM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Day 1 #classicstober #classicstober25 Hypnos. Very quick sketch before bed. Proportions all wrong but am resolved to post whatever I manage to achieve each day. Some days that will be nothing! @classicstober.bsky.social
Terrible photo in bad light of sketchbook with scrappy pencil sketch of bronze head of Hypnos with wing sprouting to left side
October 1, 2025 at 9:28 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Lovely sunny afternoon yesterday for a walk across the big field. It's been a while since I did this walk. Trying to get back into routine of a countryside walk every weekend as it does me a lot of good
View of field in sunshine. Path shaded by hedgerow along left side. Branch of old man's beard hanging in focus in foreground. Trees out of focus in background Spiky green horse-chestnut (I think? I am no great plant specialist) in close up.
September 28, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
acrsn.bsky.social
#PhD fellowship within the DECADOCS network: ‘Decadent Travellers and the Reception of Classical Antiquity in the Nineteenth Century’ decadocs.blog/research-pro...
Research Project 6
This project, Decadent Travellers and the Reception of Classical Antiquity, will investigate the development of a decadent version of the Grand Tour in the late-nineteenth century, informed by the …
decadocs.blog
September 28, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
classicstober.bsky.social
#ClassicsTober prompts for October ‘25
#ClassicsTober25
ClassicsTober25: Katabasis 1. Hypnos 2. Thanatos 3. Graeae 4. Shroud 5. Hermes Psychopompos 6. Moirai 7. φαρμακίς (pharmakis) - witch, sorceress 8. Erebos 9. Lampades 10. Hekate 11. Torch 12. Styx 13. Empousa 14. Cocytus 15. Τέρατα (Térata) - monsters 16. Typhon 17. Echidna 18. Kharon 19. Shade 20. Acheron 21. Kerberos 22. Judge 23. Lamia 24. Phlegethon 25. Tartarus 26. Punishment 27. Erinyes 28. Phobos & Deimos 29. Mysteries 30. Lethe 31. Elysian Fields
September 21, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Dr Vicky Donnellan
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
Free lecture by Prof Jaś Elsner at Senate House on 10th October. Book on the link below.

The 28th Denys Haynes Memorial Lecture

Monument, movement and the ritual body: ancient Indian, Roman and Greek art | British Museum share.google/glf556KROUQV...
Monument, movement and the ritual body: ancient Indian, Roman and Greek art
Join one of Britain's leading art historians, Jaś Elsner, for a look at the religious context of some of the great monuments of antiquity.
share.google
September 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
vickydonnellan.bsky.social
A few photos from damp Newcastle this morning as I head home after a great
Classical Collections Network event yesterday. There will be a write up coming soon on our website for those who couldn't make it
View up river Tyne on a grey rainy morning. A number of bridges cross the river but the railway bridge is most prominent Looking up under the Tyne Bridge from the riverbank View of Sage Gateshead building, weird shiny armadillo structure, from across the river, Tyne Bridge cuts across overhead Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society building, grey stone, with a banner over door marking 200 year anniversary
September 20, 2025 at 9:14 AM