ADFAS

Monday 2nd October 2006

Life & Art in Ancient Egypt

Preceded by AGM

Rubenshof,  AGM: 19.30, Lecture 19.45

Nicole Douek

Nicole Douek is a freelance lecturer at the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. She lectures to a number of archaeological and historical societies as well as to the University of the Third Age. She has been involved in excavations at Memphis with the Egypt Exploration Society and has made several television programmes on Ancient Egypt.

Little is known of the everyday life of ordinary people in ancient Egypt. But one very special village, Deir el Medineh, has provided the unique opportunity to recreate the daily life of the craftsmen who built the tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. The remains of the settlement, as well as the thousands of documents discovered by archaeologists, give a fascinating and intimate glimpse into the lives and hates, disputes and scandals, work and leisure of the tomb-builders and their families who lived and died over three thousand years ago.

Above: A tomb in Deir el Medineh.

Monday 6th November 2006

Leopold II:

King of the Fin de Siècle

Lieve Dejonghe

Lieve Dejonghe has a degree in Art History from the University of Leuven (Belgium) and in English from the University of Villanova (Pennsylvania, USA). She is professionally active as an independent free-lance lecturer at several museums in Brussels and as a tour guide in Belgium, and in that capacity is well known to ADFAS; we last saw her as our guide to the Symbolism in Russia exhibition in Brussels.

As the first Belgian king to be born in Belgium, Leopold II was strongly determined to put his nation on the map as an attractive modern country. Brussels, the capital city, was given a major facelift with new boulevards, museums and the impressive Palace of Justice. The neighbouring villages and countryside were developed into sprawling new suburbs. Funds for the embellishment of his beloved country were provided through the "Fondation de la Couronne" by the recently acquired African Congolese Province.

Above: Leopold II

Monday 11th December 2006

The Cup that Cheered:

Tea, Coffee & Chocolate
in the 18th Century

Dinah Reynolds

Dinah Reynolds has worked at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford since 1976, specialising in ceramics, and has written about the Worcester Porcelain there. She has been a guide/lecturer at the Bodleian Library and Christ Church Picture Gallery, and is a National Trust lecturer. She is also an ex-DFAS chairman and is currently a president. Dinah Reynolds is very much looking forward to visiting Antwerp again.

The introduction of tea, coffee and chocolate in the mid-seventeenth century meant that new shapes had to be devised for serving and drinking these hot beverages. Fashionable society soon created the opportunities to enjoy them both in public, e.g. coffee houses, and at home. Slides used in this lecture include contemporary paintings as well as silver and ceramic utensils depicted in the paintings. Some of these were especially created for the new drinks such as coffee cups, tea cups and spoon trays. The lecture ends in the late eighteenth century when tea, coffee and chocolate had become accepted aspects of social life.

Above: 18th Century Chocolatière.

Monday 8th January 2007

The Rake's Progress:

Stravinsky, Hogarth & Hockney

Rubenshof, 19.30

Janet Cannetty-Clarke

Janet Canetty-Clarke is very familiar to ADFAS, having lectured here on three previous occasions. She is a lecturer in Music at Sussex University and gives individual lectures for Cambridge and London Universities, as well as being a guest conductor for the Frauen-Kammerorchester van Österreich in Vienna. Janet made the ADFAS lecture tour of Australia in 1994 and 2001, and a similar tour of South African in 1997. She is looking forward to another visit to Antwerp, Brussels and The Hague.

Igor Stravinsky wanted to compose a full-length opera and found inspiration in the eight oil paintings of William Hogarth entitled "The Rake's Progress". He conducted the first performance at La Fenice in Venice in 1951, and it has remained in the repertoire ever since - a top favourite. In 1975, David Hockney created the sets and designs for the production of the opera at Glyndebourne, basing all his ideas on the engravings of Hogarth. The lecturer will explore this fascinating fusion of music and painting, using recorded illustrations and slides.

Above: The Tavern Scene from "The Rake's Progress"
by William Hogart

Wednesday 7th February 2007

Daniel Libeskind

Winner of the World Trade Center Competition

Rubenshof, 19.30

Alicia Salter

Alicia Salter is an architectural historian, and lectures widely not only in the UK but also the USA and Australia, and for the National Art Collections Fund and The National Trust in addition to NADFAS. She is a tour leader and cruise lecturer, a co-founder of 'Art Circle', and has contributed to the Dictionary of London.

In Daniel Libeskind we have an architect of great originality; his most famous work to date is the Jewish Museum in Berlin, but he has done work in Spain, Israel and the USA, and a wonderful building for the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. In February 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation chose Daniel Libeskind's design for rebuilding the 16-acre site of the former World Trade Center.

Above: The Imperial War Museum, Manchester, UK.

Monday 5th March 2007

How is it Made?

A Closer look at Silver

Rubenshof, 19.30

Helen Clifford 

Helen Clifford completed her doctorate at the Royal College of Art, and while studying a partnership of 18th century silversmiths learnt the basics of the craft in the College studios. She has curated many exhibitions connected with silver both historic and contemporary, including Twentieth Century Silver at the Crafts Council in 1995 and A Treasured Inheritance: 600 Years of Oxford College Silver at the Ashmolean in 2004. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, and owner and curator of the Swaledale Museum in Reeth, North Yorkshire. In 2005 she was a member of the first Jerwood Prize panel for British Metalworking.

Goldsmithing dates back to the third millennium BC, and most silver is made in the same way as it was in medieval times. By understanding the basic processes of making and decorating silver you will be able to 'unlock' the silver you see in museums, in country houses and in your own homes. You will become familiar with the goldsmith's workshop and tools and appreciate both the changes and continuities in one of the oldest and most revered of our crafts.

Above: Silver hairbrush, Birmingham, UK, 1910

The lecture will cover:

• Goldsmiths and their workshops from 1200 to the present.

• Methods of construction including Raising, Spinning, Flat Sheet and Casting.

• Methods of decorating including Embossing, Chasing and Engraving.

Monday 2nd April 2007

How to Look After Your Furniture

Rubenshof, 19.30

Christopher Chanter

Christopher Chanter has led NADFAS lectures, study days and workshops and is the author of articles on restoration as well as being a consultant on restoration to the Georgian Group. He was the Chairman of Historic Buildings Committee, Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Society 1999-2004 and is currently correspondent to the Council of British Archaeology.

The lecture begins with a short talk on why we need to conserve our furniture, followed by slides on pieces that the lecturer has restored in various stately homes and other buildings in England, with advice on how to clean and polish furniture properly. There will be time for individual questions following the lecture.

Right: An early Georgian scroll back chair with hand carved cabriolet walnut feet with walnut crossbanding.

Monday 7th May 2007

The Mughals of India

Rubenshof, 19.30

Ann Peerless 

Ann Peerless lectures for the V&A and the British Museum, as well as being a guest lecturer for NADFAS and Swan Hellenic in India and Vietnam. She was previously the Course Director and Tutor for the University of Kent School of Continuing Education and Senor Lecturer in Art, Coloma College (Bromley, in Kent). She has a wide experience in adult education, schools (including Guy's Hospital) and Holloway (Women's) Prison. Ann has been commissioned by the Government of India and Air India for design work and photographic exhibitions, and has travelled and researched in India, Taiwan, China and parts of SE Asia.

Attracted by the great wealth of the Hindu temples many Muslim invaders attacked India from the 8th century onwards, ransacking, pillaging and returning from whence they came. Some however put down roots and it was one particular family who created a dynasty and founded what was to become known as the Mughal Empire. The wealth of the court became legendary and it was renowned for its patronage of the arts and its magnificent architecture.

This lecture tells the story of these Emperors and their contribution to the cultural heritage of India, which produced among many other achievements, the Taj Mahal.

Above: Sunrise at the Taj Mahal.