Past Lectures Wednesday 14 May 2025 Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Coach departs Radcliffe-on-Trent at 9am, arriving Cambridge at 11am. Coach departs Cambridge at 4pm, arriving Radcliffe-on-Trent at 6pm. Entrance ticket to the Fitzwilliam Museum is included. 7 May 2025 Rosamund Bartlett The Culture of Ukraine – Art, Literature, Music and History This lecture tells the multifaceted Ukrainian story through the shared culture which binds its diverse people together, including the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv inherited from Byzantium, the rich legacy of the Cossacks, and a treasury of poetry, painting and song. We will also look at the key role played by folk culture in the years before Ukraine's emergence as an independent nation, whether "red icons" on glass or the country's remarkable embroidery tradition, which had a surprising influence on avant-garde art. 2 April 2025 Joanne Rhymer Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) – Painting in Paris Mary Cassatt was the only American artist to exhibit with the French Impressionists in their independent exhibitions. When the artist, Edgar Degas, persuaded her to stop exhibiting work at the Paris Salon - the official art exhibitions in the capital - and to exhibit instead with his artistic colleagues, she stated that, ‘I accepted with joy… I hated conventional art.’ Cassatt went on to make outstanding contributions to four of the eight Impressionist exhibitions. Like her Impressionist colleagues, Cassatt represented modern life, but the subjects suitable for a ‘respectable’ woman such as Cassatt were limited. Study Day Wednesday 26th March 2025 at Grange Hall Chris Aslan Unravelling the Silk Road The study day comprises three lectures, each exploring a textile and a road. We examine how textiles have changed the course of Central Asian history, politics and a way of life. We examine how textiles have changed the course of Central Asian history, politics and a way of life. We also revel in the intoxicating designs, colours, and techniques achieved with these three textiles, from breath-takingly intricate suzani embroidery and robes fit for a Shah, to world-class carpets, cheerful shyrdyk felts and diaphanous cotton, lighter than a spider’s web. Each lecture will also be embroidered with Chris’s own experience of living and working in the region for 15 years as he attempts to justify a rather bold assertion, 'that everything is about textiles'. Now fully booked – contact trentvalleychairman@theartssociety.org to join the waiting list.’ 5 March 2025 Barbara Askew Charles I – King and Collector – 400th anniversary of his accession This lecture celebrates the 400th Anniversary of Charles I’s accession to the throne in 1625. Charles I’s obsession for collecting works of art began when as a 22-year-old prince he travelled to Spain and saw the magnificent collection of the Spanish king, Philip IV. On becoming King in 1625 Charles purchased the fabulous collection of the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua which included works by Titian, Raphael and Andrea Mantegna’s astonishing series of paintings “The Triumphs of Caesar”. 5 February 2025 Caroline Bendix Bound to Learn – a Brief History of Western Bookbinding This lecture looks at western bookbinding, in particular during the age of the printed book. Aspects of the book trade, including bookbinding practices and materials used in bindings are shown and, as structure and decoration changed as the centuries passed, the individual binders’ fingers tell their own tale as the craft developed. The bookbinding trade has long recycled waste materials, some of which may be more valuable than the books themselves. Bookbindings also provide an insight into the owner’s wealth and station in life, as books were bought unbound and bindings were therefore generally chosen by the first owner until the 19th century. 8 January 2025 Anne Haworth The Ming Dynasty – Power, Craftsmanship and Tea in China’s Empire of Brightness The Ming Dynasty came to power in 1368. Ming translates as bright and the first emperors of this new dynasty were regarded as semi-divine and blessed by the 'Mandate of Heaven'. China's new capital city, Beijing, had massive fortified walls which protected the Imperial Palace - the Forbidden City. Fine craftsmanship developed under the patronage of the emperors including the making of glittering gold vessels which reflected the brightness of the new dynasty, brilliantly coloured red lacquer, jade sculptures and porcelain vessels including the legendary 'Ming Vases'. Lustrous silk was made into robes and tiny embroidered shoes for ladies with bound 'golden lotus' feet. 4 December 2024 Anna Bianco Decoding the Saints – Medieval Saints and their Symbols Can you ever remember which saint is which? Who carries the wheel? And which John is the one with the lamb and which is the one with chalice and snake? This lecture is designed to give members the edge when travelling around the churches, galleries and museums of UK and Europe – helping them to ‘decode’ the saints. The lecture explores the visual splendours that were created to glorify saints, martyrs and important Christian figures. Drawing from paintings, metal work, sculpture and manuscripts the lecture explores ancient saints such as St Stephen (the first Christian martyr) to historic saints such as St Thomas Becket and St Louis IX King of France. 6 November 2024 Sally Dormer Mosaics and Marbles in 5th & 6th Century Ravenna The modest city of Ravenna, situated near the Adriatic coast in north-eastern Italy, hides an illustrious past filled with glittering treasures. In 402 A.D. Honorius, the Roman Emperor, moved the capital of the Western Roman empire from Milan to Ravenna, and furnished the city with churches clad in glistening mosaics and coloured marbles. Ravenna flourished after the demise of the Western Roman Empire under King Theodoric as capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom, who enriched it with further splendid mosaic-filled monuments. Study Day Wednesday 16th October 2024 at Grange Hall Ian Cockburn Moorish Architecture: The Legacy of a Vanished Kingdom The Alhambra of Granada, the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alcazar of Seville are the three most impressive monuments to the architectural creativity of the Moors in Spain, but there are many other examples worthy of mention too. The classical origins that influenced the Moorish style are less well-known, but fascinating to explore, as too is the unique interior decorative style developed by the Moors, which gives their architecture its beauty and exotic appeal – an appeal so strong that the Christians sometimes copied it, even as they slowly reconquered the territory from its Islamic rulers. This lecture provides a comprehensive introduction to the peninsula’s Moorish architecture. 2 October 2024 Jennifer Toynbee-Holmes The Ballet Russe – when Art danced with Music When Diaghilev created ballet in the west in the early twentieth century, he brought extraordinary revolutionary energy from Russia. 3/7/24 Susan Kay-Williams History of the Royal School of Needlework In 2022 the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) will celebrate its 150th anniversary. It was founded to keep hand embroidery alive and to offer suitable occupation to educated women who would otherwise have been destitute. Today it is a thriving centre of hand embroidery education to the highest level. This lecture, goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the last 150 years and the School’s changing fortunes including: being part of the ‘Kensington set’; the links with the Arts and Crafts and Aestheticism movements; the connection with the SAS; the move to Hampton Court Palace and the variety of commissions the RSN has undertaken from wedding dresses to Oscar gowns and from runway garments to ecclesiastical vestments. 5/6/24 Ian Swankie Thomas Heatherwick – A Modern Leonardo? The past decade has seen the meteoric rise of this extraordinarily versatile British designer with his acclaimed Olympic cauldron, the iconic new London bus and designs for a spectacular new HQ building for Google. Over the last twenty years the Heatherwick Studio has used an intriguing combination of curiosity and experimentation to produce a vast range of solutions to design challenges around the world. This talk looks at the problems presented, and the wonderfully creative ways in which Heatherwick and his team have responded. Visit to Ely Cathedral Tuesday, May 21st. 2024 Meet at TOMKINS butchers to board the coach at 9.00am in Radcliffe on Trent or at 9.10am at the WHITE LION on the main street in Bingham. The coach will drop us at the entrance to the Cathedral, where a guided tour is booked for 11.30am. An optional extra at the Cathedral is a visit to the wonderful Stained Glass Museum, which is accessed by 47 steps. There is No LIFT. Lunch is available in the Almonry, but this is NOT included in the price for the visit. There are also many excellent places in Ely, which you might like to explore. The coach will depart from the Cathedral for home at 4.00pm. The prices for the day are: Travel and Cathedral Guided Tour: £34.50 Travel, Cathedral Guided Tour and Stained Glass Museum £40.50 1/5/24 Julia Marwood Introducing the Scottish Colourists The Scottish Colourists are now acknowledged as one of the most talented, experimental and distinctive groups in twentieth century British art. Their love of Paris in the Belle Époque gave them an early understanding of developments in French modern art, from Manet and the Impressionists to Matisse and the Fauves. Their simple, vibrant and engaging works combine avant-garde influences with an art for art’s sake joie de vivre. This lecture introduces the lives of S J Peploe, J D Fergusson, G L Hunter and F C B Cadell and provides a taste of their joyful and uplifting work. 3/4/24 Dr Paul Roberts Palmyra – Bride of the Desert In this talk we look at one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world, the fabled city of Palmyra, in the Syrian desert. Palmyra arose on a trade route that brought silk, spices and other luxuries across the desert from the east. Her wealth and power are displayed in gorgeous monuments, while her people, wealthy, sophisticated and cosmopolitan, are preserved in their hauntingly beautiful funeral portraits. Palmyra became so powerful during the Roman empire that its warrior queen Zenobia challenged Rome itself. We’ll see Palmyra’s meteoric rise and its dramatic fall, its rediscovery by English lords, its influence on art and architecture, and then its desecration by Isis. But we finish with the hope that beautiful Palmyra will rise again… 6/3/24 Lois Oliver Boris Anrep and the National Gallery Mosaics Visitors to the National Gallery are often surprised to find at their feet mosaics featuring a host of famous characters, including Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, and Greta Garbo, even Lewis Carroll’s Alice and a Christmas pudding. This exuberant mosaic cycle was created by the Russian artist Boris Anrep between 1926 and 1952. A larger-than-life character, Boris Anrep was an intimate of the Bloomsbury Group and a close friend of Augustus John and Anna Akhmatova. His exploits included deeds of derring-do in occupied France, competing in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon, and a colourful love-life.  This is an account of an extraordinary man and his work, by the author of Boris Anrep: The National Gallery mosaics. 7/2/24 Nicholas Merchant Linley – The Continuing Tradition of English Cabinet Making David Linley has established himself as one of the leading furniture designers of our day. His furniture is inspired by the past, re-interpreted for the 21st century. Fortunately he is not alone and the craft of the cabinet maker flourishes in this age of mediocrity. In this fully- illustrated talk, prepared in conjunction with Linley, we examine his work, his style, his inspiration and how his work relates to the history of cabinet-making in Britain. In making this lecture it is interesting to discover that many of the parameters that governed the life of say, an 18th century cabinet maker still hold good to-day. The search for patrons, the marketing of the finished article, the construction of the furniture and the financing of the business all raise their heads just as they did 250 years ago.  3/1/24 Clare Ford-Willie Rubens – The Master and his Workshop Rubens was one of the greatest artists of the 17th century, with prestigious commissions from the rulers of Spain, England, Italy and France. His oil sketches are extraordinary and his subject matter from altarpieces and portraits to landscape and paintings of everyday life so wide-ranging. Above all his technique in his liquid and spontaneous oil sketches was influential upon artists to the present day. Many artists worked for him, including Anthony van Dyck, and he was one of the most remarkable and efficient organisers of his large workshop, from his beautiful house in Antwerp, still existing today.