The Arab Hall at Leighton House with Dr Melanie Gibson
Take a tour around the beautiful Arab Hall at Leighton House and embark on a journey following the footsteps of its creators, Frederic Leighton and George Aitchison
The Arab Hall, with its beautiful tiles, wooden lattices, gold mosaics and soaring dome, was created by the artist Frederic Leighton and his architect George Aitchison in the late 19th century.
The inspiration for many of its elements can be traced back to Leighton’s travels to Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and to southern Spain where he sketched the landscape, took careful note of the architecture, and shopped for ceramics, textiles, and carpets.
In this talk, Dr Melanie Gibson will revisit some of the places in Leighton’s travels and will investigate how the ideas and objects he collected were combined and displayed at Leighton House; a location as beguiling today as it was when he first showed it to his friends and admirers in 1881.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- An insight into Frederic Leighton’s travels around Turkey, Egypt, and Syria from 1857-1877
- An exploration of how his ideas and collections were shaped by his experiences.
- A discussion of Leighton’s conception of the Arab Hall and how George Aitchison, William De Morgan, Walter Crane and others contributed to its planning and construction.
Programme
- 10:45am registration
- 11:00am Talk from Dr Melanie Gibson in the learning centre
- 11:40am Talk in the Arab Hall, pointing out various details previously introduced
- 12:10pm Q&A
- 12:30pm Attendees to wander through the house at their leisure
- 1:00pm End
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This event is for BIID members and anyone with an interest in Frederic Leighton’s work and travels, Arab-style interiors and Middle Eastern resources in historic interior design.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr Melanie Gibson is a trustee of the Friends of Leighton House. She is the editor of the Gingko Art Series and convenes the Islamic Art module of the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art at SOAS. Since 2005 she has lectured on the ceramics and glass of the Islamic world for SOAS, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Courtauld Institute, and the Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar. Her research focuses on the ceramics and glass of the Islamic world, as well as the reception and use of Islamic pattern in 19th-century British design. She is currently doing research for a book on the Arab Hall.
You can find more about Melanie here and here
Additional Information
The advertised price does not include VAT.
Once you have registered for this event and your ticket purchase has been verified, you will be emailed confirmation. If this event is fully booked, please join the waiting list. If you are no longer able to attend, please inform the office so that we can give your spot to someone else.
Attendance to this event equals 2 hours of Structured CPD
If you have any queries, please email the office at info@biid.org.uk or call 020 7628 0255.
By booking a ticket to this event you are agreeing to the BIID event terms and conditions
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