We are sorry to say that Michael died at the weekend. In line with his wishes there will be a private cremation with no funeral and at the family’s request we will have a celebration of his life in the Department in 2026.

In the last few weeks of his life he was very pleased to receive letters, cards and visits from his ex-students, many of whom wanted to tell him that their time in the Department changed their lives. There were frequent references to fond memories of times spent in Rome and Florence; and of his inspirational talks based on the collections and archives he introduced to the Department.

Here he is eating an ice-cream from Vivoli’s in Florence.