Saturday 19 March
Great Turkic Rulers: Warlords, Patrons, Sultans
This Focus Day examines the personalities and legacies of three great Turkic rulers who presided over a ‘golden age’ of their respective cultures. Dr Oya Pancaroglu, University of Oxford, explores the Anatolian (Rum) Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad, who ruled during the ‘Seljuk Century of Bliss’ (13th century) and whose prolific building of palaces, caravanserais and mosques transformed the medieval Anatolian landscape; author Justin Marozzi looks at Tamerlane (Timur the Lame), a fierce tyrant who built towers with the heads of his enemies but who also transformed Samarqand into a city of exquisite beauty; finally, curator Rachel Ward considers the Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, who was a brilliant military strategist, a canny politician and an energetic cultivator of the arts. A panel discussion follows.
Venue: Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1
Time: 10am–2pm
Tickets: £25/£15 students (includes exhibition entry and tea). Click here to download a booking form for this event.
Saturday 2 April
Islamic Art and Artistic Exchange
This Focus Day reveals the exquisite beauty, brilliant colour and harmonious design of Islamic art, and examines artistic exchange across dynasties addressed by the exhibition. Dr Keith Critchlow, The Prince’s School for Traditional Arts, considers the contribution of geometry to Islamic art and how it expresses the order and logic inherent in the Islamic vision of the universe; Dr Robin Cormack, Courtauld Institute of Art, looks at the Hagia Sophia as a symbol of the cross-fertilisation that transpired between Byzantine art and Islamic art with the fall of Constantinople; Dr Venetia Porter, British Museum, discusses the function, production and decoration of Islamic ceramic tiles, explaining the techniques of the craftsmen and comparing Seljuk and Iznik tilework.
Venue: Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1
Time: 10am–2pm
Tickets: Focus Day only £25/£15 students (includes exhibition entry and tea); Focus Day and Turkish Tile Painting Workshop (see below) £50/£40 students (includes exhibition entry, tea, art materials and wine). Click here to download a booking form for this event.
Saturday 2 April
Turkish Tile Painting Workshop
Led by Delfina Bottesini from The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, this practical workshop encourages participants to decorate their own handmade ceramic tile inspired by traditional Turkish motifs. Participants explore the relationship between geometric and biomorphic (Islimi) design and practise traditional brushwork techniques before transferring their chosen design on to a hexagonal tile and decorating it with coloured glazes.
Venue: Gallery 10, Royal Academy of Arts, London W1
Time: 3pm–7pm
Tickets: tickets for the workshop are only sold together with tickets for the Islamic Art and Artistic Exchange Focus Day (see prices above); limited places available so advance booking is advised. Click here to download a booking form for this event.
Telephone bookings can be made on 020 7300 5839, and by fax on 020 7300 8071. Alternatively, write to Royal Academy of Arts, Events and Lectures, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD. Click here to download a booking form for these events.
