Lecturing
The Arts Society
I am an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society, and offer a range of lectures and study days on different themes relating to British art. My lectures include:
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The Baroque country house
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Making sense of portraits in country houses
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William and Mary style
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Queens, consorts and courtiers: Female art patrons in late Stuart England
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A Village in Heaven: Stanley Spencer's Cookham
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The people and portraits of Stanley Spencer's final years
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Women Artists in Britain, 1520-1920: an exhibition at Tate Britain, May-Oct 2024
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Study days include:
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British Baroque: an exploration of how Britain adopted this magnificent and courtly style
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Study days can be tailored to your interests, on request.
To enquire or book a lecture or study day, please contact me using the form below.
Join me in Oxford for a weekend course on
Decorative Arts and European Empires
The decorative arts were fundamental to the development of early-modern European Empires. Nations competed for dominance of key ports and trade routes, and imported finished goods and raw materials to satisfy the increasingly diverse desires of their growing populations. They developed new cultures of consumption around commodities such as tea and coffee, and engaged in dialogues about national identity which were framed by global produce. This weekend event will explore how the decorative arts shaped, and were shaped by, the development of trade and Empire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
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Looking closely at objects, materials and styles, we will explore how imported goods such as chintzes from the Indian subcontinent, and new goods such as tea wares from East Asia were adopted by ordinary people, as well looking at the development of elite taste. We will focus in depth on porcelain, silver, furniture, and textiles, considering how international connections fostered stylistic exchange. We will also consider how Europeans whose fortunes were made in the colonies used the decorative arts to proclaim their status and secure their reputation in their home countries.
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The weekend will include a gallery visit and object handling session at the Ashmolean Museum, and visits to two colleges, where we will investigate the material legacy of Oxford’s Imperial connections.
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Course date: 16th & 17th March 2024.
Full programme and details of how to book here.