The Ottomans: A Cultural Legacy

Fascinating online lecture from ARTscapades on the Ottoman Empire.

I have to admit my knowledge of the Ottoman was limited and I only really know if it where it intersects with Western art. Diana Darke, journalist and author of a book with the same title as the lecture led us clearly through the formation of the empire and how it operated.

I was amazed to discover a radical society which provided many services freely in return for taxes and an empire which welcomed all races and religions. We could learn a lot from them. Darke also took us though the architecture of the various capitals over the centuries as well as describing the goods which they exported and were much in demand in the West such as carpets and flower bulbs.

I don’t usually blog historical lectures but I include this one as it has really opened my eyes to the wider world in which the art I love and study existed. I will look at marginal figures and objects in a new light.

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