Ceramic figure of a camel, Tang-dynasty China (618–907) ©The Trustees of the British Museum.
A unique opportunity to discover the Silk Roads on ARTscapades’ two-part study course with Professor Susan Whitfield, who has been researching, travelling and writing about the Silk Roads for over 30 years. With major exhibitions at the British Museum and British Library about to open, explore the artistic outputs resulting from consequences of medieval trade and travel across Afro-Eurasia which, as the British Museum exhibits show, can even be seen in the British Isles.
Includes two lectures, Q&A and a short break. Tickets £20.
Lecture One: The Expanding Silk Roads: From Nara to Norwich
Lecture Two: Travelling objects
In recent years there has been interest in the influence of the Silk Roads on its edges: Japan, Korea, Britain, Scandinavia and north/east Africa. This is seen in the British Museum exhibition Silk Roads and in the research project From Nara to Norwich.. The first lecture will consider this expansion and how it is evident from the landscape and material culture of these regions.
Several objects from these regions which are also in the exhibitions will be introduced and discussed in more detail in the second lecture, including a Buddha statue found in Sweden, jewellery from Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, a Persian glass vase in Japan, and a steppe dagger from a Korean burial site.
To book for Part One of SHORT COURSE Silk Roads: Art and Architecture please click here.
Susan Whitfield’s book Silk Roads: Peoples, Cultures and Landscapes is published by Thames and Hudson. Short Course ticket holders receive a code for 20% off the retail price via thamesandhudson.com.
The Exhibition Silk Roads is at the British Museum from 26 September 2024 to 23 February 2025; ARTscapades Short Course ticket holders will shortly be sent a code for a special offer on the exhibition catalogue via BM shop website.
Proceeds from ARTscapades ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for one month afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.