Previous Lectures We will be archiving the lectures as we go through the year, so you can look back on lectures, perhaps look at some of the links associated with them. 13th March 2025 Anna Warrillow Britain as Workshop of the World. The Great Exhibition of 1851 and the Establishment of the V&A. This lecture focuses on the design impact of the Great Exhibition and the need for a 'legacy institution' in the form of the South Kensington Museum. We look at the building as a work of art and explore the work of William Morris, Fredrick Lord Leighton and other influential designers of the Victorian Age. 13th Feburary 2025 Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe The Overshadowed Have you had this experience? You go to a gallery, an exhibition and are stopped dead by an unknown picture: you look at the label and find you have never heard of the artist. How does it come about that there can be such wonderful painters of whom we have never heard? This lecture will consider some of the many reasons for a good artist’s obscurity, from the brevity of his life to the misfortune of his being born and working in the shadow of a larger reputation, such as Leonardo or Rembrandt. But above all it is an excuse to spend an hour gorging on beautiful paintings, finding hidden treasures. 9th January 2025 The Mechanics of Bookbinding. Caroline Bendix The original talk on Debo-Mitford Cavendish has had to be cancelled at very short notice due to illness. But we hope to rearrange later. However David Brown worked very hard to find a more local replacement and he has secured the services of Caroline Bendix from Market Harborough at very short notice. She came to us for that memorable Meeting that followed our AGM in October 2023 when we were evicted from the Quorn Church Rooms to the nearby shadowy St Bartholomew’s Church, and she talked about Conserving the National Trust’s Libraries. Many of you have asked us to invite her again, so here she is. 12th December 2024 Barry Venning Giles Cartoons: Christmas with Giles, Grandma and the Family For a great many members of The Arts Society, the cartoonist Carl Giles was as much a part of the festive season as the Christmas tree, crackers and the Queen's Speech. So popular were the Giles annuals as Christmas presents that they helped to make him Britain's best loved, most successful and wealthiest cartoonist. The talk looks at Giles's life and work with a particular emphasis on his seasonal cartoons, particularly those featuring Grandma and the Giles family. They include some of his funniest cartoons but, as the art historian William Feaver pointed out, they also demonstrate that he had few equals when it came to representing Britain in Winter. 14th November 2024 Rosamund Bartlett The Culture of Ukraine This lecture tells the multifaceted Ukrainian story through the shared culture which binds its diverse people together, including the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv inherited from Byzantium, the rich legacy of the Cossacks, and a treasury of poetry, painting and song. We will also look at the key role played by folk culture in the years before Ukraine's emergence as an independent nation, whether "red icons" on glass or the country's remarkable embroidery tradition, which had a surprising influence on avant-garde art. 10th October 2024 James Wright In Search of Britain’s Oldest Pubs Numerous claims are made to be Britain’s oldest pub from all corners of the isles. Pubs have been the beating heart of communities for centuries and there are firm regional rivalries when it comes to competing for the very oldest boozer. Is it ever possible to come close to identifying which establishment has been serving up the beers for the longest? Belper Arms, Newton Burgoland This pub dates back to the 13th century and claims to be the oldest in Leicestershire. Stephen McKay Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 12th September 2024 Brian MacDonald Treasures of the Black Tent: Treasures of the Black Tent - Antique Tribal Rugs & Dowry Weavings of the Persian & Central Asian Nomad The audience is taken on a journey beginning in Outer Mongolia in the 5th century BC and follows the 11th century migrations from Turkmenistan, the cradle of weaving, into the Caucasus, Persia and Afghanistan. You will be introduced to the nomadic tribes of these countries and their woven rugs, carpets and dowry bags, with particular emphasis on those of the 19th century and earlier. These tribal weavings illustrate the skill of the women who produced exquisite works of woven art, using vegetable colours and age-old designs whilst living and travelling in primitive conditions and hostile landscapes. We have a Special Study Afternoon arranged for Wednesday 17th July at the Village Hall Woodhouse Eaves at 15:00 to 16:30. Two local artists, Helen Rhodes and Kate Gibbs will be giving talks on how to make a living as professional artists. Kate uses a Lino Cut Printing technique to produce themes inspired by nature. There will be an exhibition of their techniques and artworks with some items for sale. Refreshments, tea, coffee and cakes will be provided throughout the afternoon included with the entrance fee. The entrance fee of £10 will include a raffle entry to win one of two artworks by the artists. Book your tickets in advance by filling in a Registration Form at our next regular meeting to avoid disappointment. There will be a limited number of tickets available at the door on the day. 13th June 2024 David Rosier Imperial Chinese Court Art & Portraiture. David returns from the Scottish Highlands to present more from his vast collections of Chinese Culture, some of which he will bring. This lecture explores the origins and evolution of the nature and function of paintings created under an Emperor's patronage by artists of the Imperial School of Art. Court art evolved separately from classical Chinese paintings and included portraiture plus scenes of court life and significant State Events. These were used as visual evidence of the political power of the Emperor and the splendour of his court. The lecture concludes by considering the revolution in court art that occured in the 18th century as Emperor Qianlong deployed Western artistic skills and techniques brought by Jesuits invited to the Forbidden City. 9th May 2024 Mark Temple A Picture Tour of Woodhouse Eaves and its neighbours. Changes over 100 years House party at Beaumanor Hall, Woodhouse Eaves in 1926. Photo: WikiMedia Commons 11th April 2024 Keith Bonser Caravaggio Painter Extraordinaire, Flawed Genius &…..? Murderer. My presentation is a very personal account of how Caravaggio came into my life. This journey embraces the story of his life and his paintings, and epitomises the ability of Art to inspire anyone. The core presentation is followed by an interactive open discussion on related topics. For example; • The Betrayal of Christ; A painting ‘lost’ for almost 400 years, found by chance in Dublin 1990 • No body, no grave, no record of his death. How did Caravaggio die? • Caravaggio and his models, including himself • Did Caravaggio’s alleged bi-sexuality, trigger a sequence of events which directly led to his premature death? • Malta; A year on the island which promised so much, but ended in disaster • Caravaggio and Costanza Colonna; A bond that helped him throughout his life and very nearly saved him …….., but not quite. 14th March 2024 (date changed) Ralph Hoyle Mid 18th Century English Rococo Silver, it’s Social Context, and the Adventures of it’s Owners and Makers Ralph's interest is mid eighteenth century English Rococo silver. He brings with him the pieces he is going to talk about for the listeners to handle and examine, together with a comprehensive collection of power point images, with close ups of features of interest. The Huguenot influence on this most decorative period is discussed, where new silversmith techniques fused with new designs; together with methods of manufacture, interpreting the engraved heraldry of the items, and the social context. He makes the talk entertaining as well as informative by taking the audience on a journey to uncover the original owners by tracing the heraldry, shows portraits of them, and reveals some of the life story associated with them; fabulously wealthy aristocrats and middling sorts, they variously had a stint in the Tower of London, had tragic family circumstances, had their descendants gamble away their estates, found their wife in a bed she should certainly not have been in, or were dragged to their death in an overturned carriage... Knowing the exploits of these original owners of these pieces adds considerably to their interest and brings another dimension to the handling. This format also lends itself to study sessions, particularly a small group at a single table, where a greater range of pieces can be shown, and discussed in more detail, together with a session looking at silver wine labels*; their evolving design from the 1730s, how wars with France determined the wines that were drunk, and how some makers families supplied them for several generations. * Also known as decanter labels. Originally introduced to identify the contents of opaque and dark coloured bottles. 8th February 2024 Tyler Butterworth What a Carry On! From the son of Peter: come and hear the history and art of the Carry On films from within the family. The remarkable untold story of Carry On actor Peter Butterworth, and his wife, Britain’s first female tv impressionist Janet Brown, best known for her impression of Mrs Thatcher. Using classic film and tv clips, personal mementos, and rare photographs and letters from his family’s unseen collection, Tyler reveals the private story behind his parents’ public lives. It’s a journey that takes in MI9, the building of a theatre in the notorious WW2 Prisoner of War camp Stalag Luft III, nights at Chequers with a Prime Minister, This Is Your Life, and many more moments in their long, shared life in the theatre. 11th January 2024 Paul Roberts Last Supper in Pompeii. For the Romans, life meant getting together to eat and drink, in a pub, in a simple flat or at a banquet in a triclinium or grand dining room. Last supper in Pompeii celebrates the Roman love affair with food and wine, in a journey from fields and vineyards to markets and shops, from tables to toilets and the tomb. We visit the fertile vine-filled slopes of Vesuvius, then going into the bustling city, past shops and bars, we enter the home, with its grand reception rooms, and lovely garden filled with flowers and fountains. We recline in the dining room, with exotic food and fine wine, surrounded by Greek-style luxury; beautiful silver, mosaics and frescoes. But don’t go in the kitchen! No fridge, no running water, no hygiene (and an open cess pit next to the cooker!). Lastly we look at how Roman ideas and customs on food caught on in Roman Britain. Along with Roman gods of fertility and wine come exotic imports like pepper, figs and finest fish sauce. We witness the birth of the British beer industry and even see the British dead, feasting into the afterlife, like all good Romans. Seize the day - Carpe diem!! Come and celebrate the Roman love of food & wine (For some of us things never change!!) with Paul the Head of the Dept of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology.

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