Istanbul: City of Faith, Power and Beauty

Following on from her wonderful lectures on Venice at last year’s Special Interest event, we are delighted to welcome Antonia Gatward Cevizli back to Ashtead. This time we focus on magical Istanbul, sitting at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. The morning consists of two lectures with a coffee break in between. The title of the first lecture is ‘Treasures of Ottoman Istanbul’ and showcases a selection of major architectural sites. The second lecture, ‘Carnations, Tulips and Hyacinths’ is more specific and tells the story of Turkey’s Iznik ceramics. Iznik ceramics crop up in so many of Istanbul’s monuments that it’s worth looking at them separately.

About: 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.