Museum Collections

Museum Collections Spotlight

Over the last 100 years, we have worked to locate and acquire approximately 5,000 objects in the collection. The process is ongoing and involves a combination of documentary and provenance research. In addition to the study of these objects, the Department of Museum Collections is responsible for their care and preservation.

Explore the Collection
When Thomas Jefferson went looking for the perfect gift for his friend, architect Charles-Louis Clèrisseau, he found inspiration in the form of a Roman askos discovered at the ruins of Nîmes. Jefferson first commissioned a wooden model of this pouring vessel, and then later a silver model that the Jefferson family called “the silver duck” and used as a chocolate pot at Monticello. Join us for our latest episode of Object Stories, where Associate Curator Emilie Johnson gives us the backstory on the askos vessels owned (and gifted) by Jefferson.

Object Stories - The Silver Askos and Its Wooden Model

More Monticello Object Stories 

Research Highlights

An essential tool with a special meaning.

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Despite thousands of surviving documents — he wrote and received nearly 47,000 letters — Monticello’s curators have only recently fully understood Jefferson’s comprehensive system for drafting and organizing his correspondence.

Read the story A red chair and bench under a table with an unusual device (the Polygraph) is the center of a small, green-and-white-colored room with three large windows and lined with globes, busts, and scientific instruments.

Years after injuring his wrist in a serious fall, Jefferson searched for comfort in the use of pair of dumbbells, a leather support strap, and a small cushion for the arm of a chair.

Read the article (pdf version)

  • Gardiner Hallock
    Senior Vice President for Preservation and Operations

    Tabitha Pryor Corradi
    Director of Museum Collections

    Diane Ehrenpreis
    Curator of Decorative Arts and Historic Interiors

    Emilie Johnson
    Curator of Arts and History

    Susan Stein
    Senior Curator, Special Projects

    Malia Sbach
    Associate Registrar

    Samantha Miller
    Museum Technician

    Micaela Applebaum
    Museum Technician

    Caitlin Bowes
    Museum Technician

    Contact Information: 
    If you would like to contact the Collections or Restoration departments, please email preserving@monticello.org.