£15 members/£18 non-members

Many Europeans continued their Grand Tour, by sailing on from Marseille, Venice or Naples, accompanied by artists, interpreters and servants, to Greece, Constantinople, Syria and Egypt. They included French scholars in the reign of Louis XIV like the Chevalier d’Arvieux, Thevenot and Tournefort; James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, Thomas Hope, William Bankes, and many others.

Their main motives were interest in the power and future of the Ottoman Empire; and desire to find classical antiquities, manuscripts, rare plants and, in the case of Casanova and Byron, sexual adventures. English country-houses acquired ceilings inspired by Athens or Palmyra, travellers’ portraits in Ottoman dress, and cedars from Lebanon. The Ottoman Empire was a particularly appealing destination during the Napoleonic wars, when the rest of Europe was a battle field, and Ottoman authorities like Ali Pasha of Janina and Mohammed Ali in Egypt needed foreign allies and welcomed foreign visitors. This talk from Philip Mansel will be illustrated by 150 (often unpublished) pictures of the Ottoman Empire, showing Athens, Constantinople, Ephesus, Aleppo, Baalbek, Palmyra and Alexandria, and many other sites.

The talk starts at 6.30pm, doors open from 6.15pm.

Georgian Group members are eligible for a discount on their ticket by entering GGMEMBER at the checkout.

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