Course: A Passion for Tiles in Victorian Britain

About the course

A short course of four classes looking at the production of tiles in the Islamic World with Dr Melanie Gibson, co-curator of Leighton House's exhibition, The Arab Hall: Past and Present and author of the newly published book The Arab Hall. Frederic Leighton - Traveller and Collector.

In this series of four, two-hour classes, participants will be introduced to some of the finest examples of tiled architecture in the Islamic world, looking closely at the splendid colours and designs of their tessellations, as well as discussing how and where the tiles were made. Some of these buildings, such as the Rustem Pasha mosque in Istanbul and the Darwish Pasha Mosque in Damascus, both dated to the 16th century, as well as the 17th-century Aqsunqur Mosque in Cairo could have been visited by the artist Frederic Leighton who made long trips to Turkey, Egypt and Syria.

Programme

• Wednesday 15 April: A survey of tile production in the Islamic world
• Wednesday 22 April: Tiles from Ottoman Turkey and Syria
• Wednesday 29 April: Tiles from Iran and Central Asia
• Wednesday 6 May: A Passion For Tiles in Victorian Britain

Useful Information

• All interest welcome.
• Tutored classes run for 2 hours and will include opportunities to explore the historic house and current exhibitions.
• Classes will take place in the Learning Centre at Leighton House

Book tickets

Meet the Tutor

Dr. Melanie Gibson, BA (Oxon) MA, PhD (SOAS, London University) is a well-known authority on Middle Eastern ceramics, writing and lecturing on them worldwide. Having studied Arabic at Oxford University, where her interest in the history of the ceramics of the Islamic world began, she gained her doctorate at SOAS, University of London. From 2013 to 2016 she was head of the Art History department at the New College of the Humanities, London, and from 2006 to 2017, the convenor and course tutor of the Arts of the Islamic World module in the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art at SOAS. A Council Member of the Oriental Ceramic Society, she is also an Executive Trustee of Gingko and Editor of the Gingko Art Series, and a Trustee of the Friends of Leighton House, where she first became fascinated by the history behind the creation of The Arab Hall.

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