{"events":[{"id":24653,"global_id":"royalasiaticsociety.org?id=24653","global_id_lineage":["royalasiaticsociety.org?id=24653"],"author":"7635","status":"publish","date":"2025-11-11 16:29:03","date_utc":"2025-11-11 16:29:03","modified":"2026-03-13 16:17:41","modified_utc":"2026-03-13 16:17:41","url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/event\/dr-melanie-gibson-frederic-leighton-a-victorian-traveller-and-collector-in-the-middle-east\/","rest_url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/24653","title":"Dr Melanie Gibson – Frederick Leighton: A Victorian Traveller and Collector in the Middle East","description":"

This talk is connected to Dr <\/span>Melanie Gibson’s recent publication <\/span>The Arab Hall – Frederick Leighton: Traveller and Collector<\/em><\/a> (Gingko, 2026).<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

About the Talk<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before becoming President of London’s Royal Academy in 1878, the artist Frederick Leighton made trips to southern Spain, Egypt, Turkey and Syria. During this period, he started putting together a collection of ceramics and carpets. After his death in 1896 his art collection was entirely dispersed, and his reputation as an Islamophile rests solely on his construction of the \u2018Arab Hall\u2019, the lavish tiled and domed room that he added to his studio home in Kensington.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this talk Dr Melanie Gibson will discuss Leighton\u2019s interest in Islamic architecture and design. Her research has shown that Leighton had a discerning eye and that some of his prize pieces are now held in museums worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the Speaker<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dr Melanie Gibson writes and lectures on the ceramics of the Middle East. 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. She is 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 <\/span>The Arab Hall<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Image: Albumen print dated c.1895 showing some of Leighton\u2019s collection on display in the Arab Hall.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Free and open to all. In person and online via Zoom.<\/p>\n

To attend online, email emd@royalasiaticsociety.org<\/a> for a link.<\/p>","excerpt":"

26 March 2026 (Thursday)<\/p>","slug":"dr-melanie-gibson-frederic-leighton-a-victorian-traveller-and-collector-in-the-middle-east","image":{"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261.jpg","id":24654,"extension":"jpg","width":1000,"height":800,"filesize":225374,"sizes":{"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":614,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":117862,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-768x614.jpg"},"blog-thumb-1":{"width":468,"height":328,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":41784,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-468x328.jpg"},"blog-thumb-2":{"width":468,"height":468,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":59460,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-468x468.jpg"},"blog-thumb-3":{"width":845,"height":592,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":124552,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-845x592.jpg"},"blog-single-1":{"width":1000,"height":500,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":149733,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-1000x500.jpg"},"portfolio-single-img-2":{"width":1116,"height":946,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":245800,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-1116x946.jpg"},"portfolio-single-img-3":{"width":806,"height":645,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":129125,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-806x645.jpg"},"portfolio-single-img-4":{"width":558,"height":446,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":65761,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-558x446.jpg"},"portfolio-img-1":{"width":655,"height":545,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":92589,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-655x545.jpg"},"portfolio-img-2":{"width":655,"height":545,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":92589,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-655x545.jpg"},"portfolio-img-3":{"width":655,"height":524,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":88306,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-655x524.jpg"},"266x266":{"width":266,"height":266,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":20520,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-266x266.jpg"},"600x0":{"width":600,"height":480,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":76121,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Arab-Hall-c.-1895-e1772539585261-600x480.jpg"}}},"all_day":false,"start_date":"2026-03-26 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12:03:46","url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/venue\/royal-asiatic-society-lecture-theatre-2\/","venue":"Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre","slug":"royal-asiatic-society-lecture-theatre-2","address":"14 Stephenson Way","city":"London","country":"United Kingdom","zip":"NW1 2HD","phone":"02073884539","website":"www.royalasiaticsociety.org","show_map":true,"show_map_link":true,"global_id":"royalasiaticsociety.org?id=4194","global_id_lineage":["royalasiaticsociety.org?id=4194"]},"organizer":[],"custom_fields":[],"ticketed":false},{"id":24693,"global_id":"royalasiaticsociety.org?id=24693","global_id_lineage":["royalasiaticsociety.org?id=24693"],"author":"7635","status":"publish","date":"2025-11-11 16:31:11","date_utc":"2025-11-11 16:31:11","modified":"2026-03-12 10:15:18","modified_utc":"2026-03-12 10:15:18","url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/event\/susan-bean-hidden-in-plain-sight-clay-sculpture-in-south-asia\/","rest_url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/24693","title":"Susan Bean – Hidden in Plain Sight: Clay Sculpture in South Asia","description":"

This talk is connected to Susan Bean’s recent publication Clay Works\u2014Earthen Sculpture in South Asia<\/em><\/a> (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026). The event is hosted in collaboration with the Indian Art Circle lecture series, SOAS.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the Talk<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This presentation introduces Clay Works\u2014Earthen Sculpture in South Asia<\/em>, recently released by Bloomsbury Publications, London. Air-dried clay (a.k.a. terracruda), along with stone, metal, wood, and fired clay, stands among South Asia\u2019s oldest and most widely used mediums for sculpture. Typically finished in vivid color, the medium has been largely overlooked in studies of the region\u2019s arts, often misidentified as stucco or terracotta, and sidelined as too fragile and exuberantly colored to be \u2018art.\u2019 The presentation brings together some of the most prominent practices across the region to consider why painted air-dried clay has been so valued as medium for figural sculpture, and what its sidelining reveals about the study of art and visual culture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the Speaker<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Susan S. Bean is an Independent Scholar and Former Senior Curator of South Asian Art at Peabody Essex Museum. She is Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Center for Art & Archaeology, American Institute of Indian Studies, India and USA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Free and open to all. In person and online via Zoom.<\/p>\n

To attend online, email emd@royalasiaticsociety.org<\/a> for a link.<\/p>","excerpt":"

16 April 2026 (Thursday)<\/p>","slug":"susan-bean-hidden-in-plain-sight-clay-sculpture-in-south-asia","image":{"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-e1773156994897.jpg","id":24694,"extension":"jpg","width":1000,"height":708,"filesize":213740,"sizes":{"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":543,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":128130,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-768x543.jpg"},"blog-thumb-1":{"width":468,"height":328,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":47377,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-468x328.jpg"},"blog-thumb-2":{"width":468,"height":468,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":72117,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-468x468.jpg"},"blog-thumb-3":{"width":845,"height":592,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":153761,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-845x592.jpg"},"blog-single-1":{"width":1200,"height":500,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":223052,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-1200x500.jpg"},"portfolio-single-img-2":{"width":1116,"height":790,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":259877,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-1116x790.jpg"},"portfolio-single-img-3":{"width":806,"height":570,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":141395,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-806x570.jpg"},"portfolio-single-img-4":{"width":558,"height":395,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":68219,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-558x395.jpg"},"portfolio-img-1":{"width":655,"height":545,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":113802,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-655x545.jpg"},"portfolio-img-2":{"width":655,"height":545,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":113802,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-655x545.jpg"},"portfolio-img-3":{"width":655,"height":463,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":93686,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-655x463.jpg"},"266x266":{"width":266,"height":266,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":23257,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-266x266.jpg"},"600x0":{"width":600,"height":425,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":73673,"url":"https:\/\/royalasiaticsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan-Bean-1-e1773156994897-600x425.jpg"}}},"all_day":false,"start_date":"2026-04-16 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