Featured Image Attribute Adoration of the Magi, tondo by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi, c. 1450 (NGA, Washington) Description of Lecture It was during the Middle Ages that many of the familiar images associated with the Christmas story were devised and popularized: including the stable in Bethlehem inhabited by the ox and ass. What were […]

Featured Image Attribute "Arktisk vårdag. Studie från Nordlandet" is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.   Description of Lecture There is something special about Nordic nature. Its vastness, wilderness, and remoteness are some of the reasons it is so fascinating. Let’s not forget the exceptional light conditions, such as the midnight sun and auroras. Surely, […]

Featured Image Attribute "KV17, the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I of the of the burial chamber, Nineteenth Dynasty, astronomical vaulted ceiling Valley of the Kings, Egypt" by Following Hadrian is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.   Description of Lecture The ancient Egyptians had extremely elaborate burial practices and funerary beliefs. In this lecture Lucia sheds […]

Featured Image Attribute "THE MENIN ROAD BY PAUL NASH" by summonedbyfells is licensed under CC BY 2.0.   Description of Lecture Paul Nash was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century, and one who united the pastoral and mystical tradition embodied by English artists such as William Blake and Samuel Palmer, […]

Featured Image Attribute "sepoy service East India Company" is marked with CC0 1.0.   Description of Lecture This lecture will focus on the history of the East-West trade and the artistic interaction and exchange that took place between European and Indian artists during the age of the East India Company. From its foundation in 1600 […]

Featured Image Attribute "Katherine Howard, 18th Century Minature based on Holbein's Painting of Elizabeth Seymour" by lisby1 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.   Description of Lecture From Holbein to the arrival of photography, the English have always kept a special place in their affections for the miniature.  No other country has supported such […]

Featured Image Attribute "Versailles Feu d'artifice" by Maurits Verbiest is licensed under CC BY 2.0.   Description of Lecture The fireworks that mark great events such as the opening of the Olympics, or even the start of a New Year make an enormous impact. Despite their brevity, the displays live on through film and photography. […]

Featured Image Attribute Description of Lecture The long British tradition of political satire is coming to the fore again as a General Election approaches - January 2025 at the latest. At the root of that tradition is William Hogarth’s Election Entertainment series of prints from the 1750s. His ruthless exposure of electoral corruption and hypocrisy […]

Insert Attribution Here   Andrew was inspired to produce this talk after visiting the National Portrait Gallery. Seeing all the Tudor, Stuart and Hanoverian monarchs, dressed in their finery, he wondered where had all their spectacular jewels gone? Among the many jewels he traces, Andrew follows ropes of glowing pearls that belonged to Catherine de […]

George Peter Alexander Healy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons   The talk comprises a practical, step-by-step guide to the conservation of paintings through the ages.  It starts with a brief history of the preparation of panels and canvases and illustrates the different approaches and techniques involved in their conservation.  Various ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ photographs […]