Istanbul - City of Faith, Power and Beauty

In November 2023 Antonia Gatward Cevizli gave us a wonderful Study Day on Venice; it sold out. This time we are moving further east to explore the city we now know as Istanbul, from the conquest by the Ottomans in 1453, the name change from Constantinople, and find out how the city of Istanbul came about.

The talk on the Treasures of Ottoman Istanbul will explore some of the architectural marvels, such as the Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, and the influence, power and place in the world of the sultans who built Istanbul. As we move into spring the third lecture will do the same, with the history of the beautiful Turkish Iznik ceramics. We will immerse ourselves in a world of tulips, hyacinths, roses and carnations, from the ceramics origins imitating Chinese porcelain to its 16th century heyday and, sadly, its subsequent decline.

DOCUMENTS

Study Day Booking Form Mar 26 v1.pdf

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli

Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli is an independent art historian specialising in both Italian Renaissance art and Ottoman art. She gained her PhD from the University of Warwick. Her publications focus on cultural and diplomatic exchange between the Italian city-states and the Ottomans. Antonia has lectured for a number of institutions including Sabancı University, Istanbul; Sotheby’s Institute of Art; the National Gallery; the V&A Academy and The Courtauld summer school. Her interests are wide-ranging and she also worked across the collections of both Tate Modern and Tate Britain as a professional guide. She has lived in Siena, Venice and Istanbul.

GALLERY