Istanbul: City of Faith, Power and Beauty
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Begins: Monday 16 October 2023
Until: Tuesday 17 October 2023
(10.45am-1pm each day - a recording will be available to ticketholders for one week after the event) - Online Zoom Event, link details will be emailed to attendees on the morning of the event
- Lecturer: Antonia Gatward Cevizli
Istanbul’s skyline changed dramatically in the years following Constantinople’s conquest by the Ottomans. This study day begins by examining Sultan Mehmed II’s attitude to the city’s Byzantine past and especially to the Haghia Sophia. We will consider his attempts to bring prosperity back to the city and make it a worthy capital of empire; Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar are among the buildings that will be examined in this context. The long and successful reign of Süleyman the Magnificent will be another area of focus since it was a Golden Age for Ottoman Art and Architecture. We will explore the impressive Süleymaniye Mosque, the ubiquitous art of Iznik ceramics, Sultanahmet (known as the Blue Mosque) and some lesser-known treasures. The day will provide an in-depth exploration of how the Ottomans communicated ideas about themselves, their power and their place in the world through their art and architecture.
Lectures
1 The Conquest of Constantinople and the Making of Istanbul
2 Topkapı Palace: Power and Empire Communicated in Stone
3 Architect Sinan in the Service of Süleyman the Magnificent
4 The Wonder of Iznik Ceramics
NB: Links to access recordings of the two-part event will be sent to all ticketholders after the second half and will be available for one week.
Lecturer
Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli is an independent art historian. She completed an MA in History of Art at the University of Warwick, followed by her PhD (2012) specialising in cultural exchange between Italy and the Ottomans in the fifteenth century. During her undergraduate studies she achieved a Distinction in Spoken Italian and studied in Siena and Venice. She has taught art history at Sabancı University, Istanbul. Antonia is a Course Leader at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, teaches on the Victoria and Albert Museum year course, at the Courtauld Institute of Art Summer School and the National Gallery. Her publications have focused on cultural and diplomatic exchange between Italy and the Ottomans.
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