Italy and the Islamic World
Study Day on Friday 18th October 2024 at 10:30AM
Lecturer: Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli
Venue: Larruperz Centre
Click here for Booking Form
This Study Day explores the rich interaction between Italian Cities and the Islamic world; it is a story of trade and diplomacy and a shared appreciation of the complex beauty of Islamic art.
It comprises three lectures. The cost is £30 per person. Attendees should bring their own lunch, but tea/coffee will be provided.
Italy and the East: Trade Travel and Diplomacy
Venice’s unique position brought the city into contact with the different powers of the Eastern Mediterranean including the Byzantine Empire, the Mamluks and the Ottomans. This lecture explores the ways in which these interactions left their mark on the artistic heritage of the city as can be seen in Venetian architecture, painting and the decorative arts.
Carpets from the East in European Painings: an interwoven history
Carpets from the Islamic world are a common feature in many European paintings. This lecture investigates what these paintings can tell us about how carpets were used and regarded in Europe. They also offer insights into trade routes of the time as we witness carpets coming in from different regions of the East and reaching more distant parts of Europe. This is a story of taste, status and international trade from the 14th to the 17th century.
Encountering the East in Renaissance Paintings
Turbaned figures are common features in Renaissance paintings. The way in which they were depicted and their role within the painting varies over time and from region to region. As we look at paintings by artists including Giotto, Carpaccio and Pinturicchio, we will trace the shift from imagery of generic Easterners to more accurate representations of regional dress and see what they can reveal about attitudes to difference.
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.