Marcinkowski, Wojciech [Editor]; Zaucha, Tomasz [Editor]; Museum Narodowe w Krakowie [Editor]: Plaster casts of the works of art: history of collections, conservation, exhibition practice ; materials from the conference in the National Museum in Krakow, May 25, 2010 (Krakau, 2010)

Rather than wondering whether these objects are perceived as originals or cop-
ies, it is here worth referring to one of the main principles inspiring the original
neoclassical architecture of the Ashmolean museum. The idea that architectural
ornamentation constituted the main vehicle of architectural expression of a building,
and that ultimately architecture could only be communicated to society at large
through ornamentation was a recurrent one in Cockerell's architectural conception,
on which contemporary architects and theorists, such as Pugin, Ruskin and Owen
tended to agree. Cockerell defined architecture as "an unfolding narrative, an epic
performed in the language of ornament". Ornaments could be read at different
levels from basic geometric patterns, aimed at animating the architectural surface,
to the use of figurative sculpture, carrying an established symbolism. Similarly to the
Parthenon and Bassae friezes used in Cockerell's 1845 building, the plaster casts
displayed in the new Ashmolean Museum provide a decorative / ornamental element
in an otherwise bare environment and bring the building to life through suggested
interactions between galleries and contexts. Today, the visitors can experience
how much the casts hinge on the movements of the potential users and enhance
the appreciation of the building. At the same time they can appreciate at least part
of their original context and of the story behind them, maybe not differently from
what i9th-century visitors did while admiring Cockerell's friezes of ancient sculptures
in the great staircase or in the west wing.

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