Lecture Programme 2024-5
Lectures take place at 2.15 pm in Ashbourne Town Hall.
Etruscan sarcophgus world history encyclopedia
A tour of the Mediterranean is a visit into the past; this virtual tour of the Ancient Mediterranean will share who the various ancient civilisations were and how they fit together into a ‘big picture’. Discover how you can you identify whose art or architecture are whose and why their lives and cultures prompted them to create such features. Find out what to expect from sites and how to find the special details that thrill archaeologists.
As an Exeter University graduate in Latin and Ancient History, Gillian worked widely in BBC Television and went on to become an award-winning freelance writer, author, public speaker and presenter.
As an Exeter University graduate in Latin and Ancient History, Gillian worked widely in BBC Television and went on to become an award-winning freelance writer, author, public speaker and presenter.
November13th 2024
Joseph Wright of Derby and the Men and Art of the Lunar Society
Lecturer: Leslie Primo
Joseph Wright of Derby and the Men and Art of the Lunar Society
Lecturer: Leslie Primo
Joseph Wright
self portrait the Guardian
We are delighted to welcome back art historian Leslie Primo.
"In this lecture I shall, through the paintings of Reynolds and others, explore the lives, achievements, common interests and connections between a unique group of individuals from this period who either attended this club or were associated with it; men such as, James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus Darwin, Joseph Priestley, Joseph Wright of Derby and others. "
"In this lecture I shall, through the paintings of Reynolds and others, explore the lives, achievements, common interests and connections between a unique group of individuals from this period who either attended this club or were associated with it; men such as, James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus Darwin, Joseph Priestley, Joseph Wright of Derby and others. "
December 11th 2024
'Nothing Says Christmas Like an Axe Fight'
Courtly Spectacles of the Renaissance.
Lecturer: Tobias Capwell
'Nothing Says Christmas Like an Axe Fight'
Courtly Spectacles of the Renaissance.
Lecturer: Tobias Capwell
Geography.org.uk
In the Renaissance, Christmas was a popular time to hold jousts, tournaments and courtly spectacles. In the dark, dead of winter, a colourful, glamorous celebration of chivalry very much took on the role of a kind of sixteenth-century 'festival of light'. In England, Christmas jousts became especially popular under that famous lover of armour and fighting, King Henry VIII. Meanwhile, in the German Empire, the Habsburg courts held fabulous winter masques.
We welcome back Toby Capwell, whose Richard III lecture we enjoyed so much. He is an academic specialist who is also one of the world’s foremost jousters and medieval martial artists.
January 8th 2025
The Captain, the Duchess and their 23,000 Children '
London's Great Foundlings Hospital.
Lecturer: Lars Tharp
The Captain, the Duchess and their 23,000 Children '
London's Great Foundlings Hospital.
Lecturer: Lars Tharp
Thomas Coram wikimedia
In the early 1700s, shipwright Thomas Coram gave up his business in Massachusets. Returning to London he was appalled to encounter babies regularly abandoned in the streets. He began to lobby for the provision of a hospital for ‘foundlings’ and for babies at risk of infanticide. The great and the good weren’t interested. But Coram persisted…
Lars Tharp, MA, FSA, is a Danish-born art historian, lecturer and broadcaster who is particularly well known for his work on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.
Lars Tharp, MA, FSA, is a Danish-born art historian, lecturer and broadcaster who is particularly well known for his work on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.
February 12th 2025
Getting Under their Skins
Finding Character and Story in Renaissance Art.
Lecturer: Sarah Dunant
Getting Under their Skins
Finding Character and Story in Renaissance Art.
Lecturer: Sarah Dunant
La Bella Titian Picryl
Sarah Dunant, international bestselling novelist of the Italian renaissance, shares the secrets of her trade. To recreate the past as a living, breathing place, Sarah has visited churches, archives, museums and art galleries all over Italy. This is the story of her discoveries; how the decoding of old paintings alongside the work of the most modern historians helped her to penetrate hidden worlds inside the Renaissance, finding wonder and drama in ordinary lives and exploring the complexities of politics and religion along with emotion, the senses, and the heady appetites of body and soul.
March 12th 2025
Popes and Painters:
The Avignon Papacy and the Impressionists of Provence
Lecturer: Caroline Rayman
Popes and Painters:
The Avignon Papacy and the Impressionists of Provence
Lecturer: Caroline Rayman
Avignon Papacy Britannica
This is the story of two groups of people who were forced to find refuge in this beautiful corner of France. The first was a set of Popes, known as The Avignon Popes, escaping from frightening trouble in Rome, and the second a group of artists, known as The Impressionists, who were forced out of the Paris by the derision of the Salon, who similarly found peace and inspiration in Provence.
Caroline has lectured for many years to universities and art organisations in America and on cruise boats. Her lectures range from the role of the royal mistress in history to more scholarly lectures on Frederick the Great of Prussia.
Caroline has lectured for many years to universities and art organisations in America and on cruise boats. Her lectures range from the role of the royal mistress in history to more scholarly lectures on Frederick the Great of Prussia.
Metropolitan Opera
The Magic Flute is one of the best loved of all Mozart's operas and charms audiences as much today as it did those at the end of the 18th century. However, beneath the surface of the music are many complexities, ambiguities and hidden secrets, which when revealed may well enhance the listener’s understanding and enjoyment of the work. By following the progress of Tamino - the opera’s hero – Peter Medhurst shows that Mozart’s opera is one of the finest musical products of the enlightenment.
Peter Medhurst travels the world as musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts.
Peter Medhurst travels the world as musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts.
May 14th 2025
The Mayan Civilisation of Central America
Lecturer: Duncan Pring
The Mayan Civilisation of Central America
Lecturer: Duncan Pring
K'inich Yax K'uk Mo, the first Maya ruler of Copan. world history encyclopedia
The Maya lived in Central America between 1000 B.C. and 1528 at which time they were conquered by the Spaniards. The peak of their civilization was between 300 and 900 AD. During that time, they built enormous monuments, produced jade and ceramic items of great beauty and developed a calendar that was far more advanced than anything in Europe at the time. They had an advanced understanding of mathematics and astronomy and developed a hieroglyphic script which scholars are beginning to decipher, allowing us to understand their achievements much more fully.
Dr Pring, a former Worth teacher and Head of Careers, is considered an expert on the Maya. Having worked as an archaeologist before moving into teaching and writing, he was involved in a number of significant digs in the region.
Dr Pring, a former Worth teacher and Head of Careers, is considered an expert on the Maya. Having worked as an archaeologist before moving into teaching and writing, he was involved in a number of significant digs in the region.
June 11th 2025
Behind the Veil - The Arts of Islamic Persia
Lecturer: John Osbourne
Behind the Veil - The Arts of Islamic Persia
Lecturer: John Osbourne
A short A.G.M will take place at 2pm before the lecture at 2.15pm.
The murder of Iraj by his brothers Tur and Salm in a 16th century Shahnamah partly illustrated by Muhammad Yusuf
Iran has a sophisticated cultural heritage ignored in the headlines. The main part of the lecture illustrates the development of the spectacular architecture in the mosques and palaces of Persia through the Islamic period, with an emphasis on their brilliant tilework and painting, including the splendid buildings of Shah Abbas' early 17th century Isfahan. Persia’s classic gardens are mentioned, and beautiful examples of manuscript illustration (‘miniatures’) are included.
John Osborne graduated in Classics at Cambridge University and taught classical subjects for over thirty years at Marlborough College, where he was Senior Master. He worked for several years for the British Council in Iran and Turkey, which gave him a now long-standing interest in Islamic culture.
John Osborne graduated in Classics at Cambridge University and taught classical subjects for over thirty years at Marlborough College, where he was Senior Master. He worked for several years for the British Council in Iran and Turkey, which gave him a now long-standing interest in Islamic culture.
