Study Day Tues 21st April 2026

Portraits in Stone:The Great Cathedrals of Medieval England  FORM HERE

The time span of five hundred years in which the great medieval cathedrals of England were built, was the greatest single period for architectural achievement in design and craftsmanship in English history. From Durham to Gloucester and Exeter we'll hear about structural and aesthetic details together with some of the fascinating figures and events behind them. 

Lecturer: Mark Cottle

Mark is a popular and well known Lecturer with the members of the Arts Society Exeter. Following studies to Post Graduate level in Late Medieval Society and Culture, he has had a career in lecturing and is now an accredited Arts Society Lecturer not only lecturing in the British Isles but also abroad, most recently in Germany and Australia. For this study day he will look at the development in Cathedral building over 500 years and as always, will provide participants with an up-to-date annotated reading list and detailed course file to underpin the day. We hope that the day will provide you with interesting insights for visits to some of these Cathedrals.

Venue – Studio 1 The Phoenix Arts Centre , 2nd floor (lift available)

Programme 

• Registration 9.30-10.00am.

• 1st lecture session10am -11.00am;

• Coffee/tea 11.00 -11.30am

• 2nd lecture session11.30 – 12.45;

Cost - £26 to include tea and coffee.

Payment by BACS to – Lloyds Bank 30-93-14 Account No.00149155

The Arts Society Exeter Reference - your surname.

Please send an email confirming your payment to:  see52bee2@gmail.com

Alternatively complete the form below and send this form with a cheque made payable to: The Arts Society Exeter and post to Chris Burns, 52 Gras Lawn, Exeter EX2 4SZ

Please enclose a SAE if you require a posted receipt, otherwise confirmation will be acknowledged by email.

A half day Study Day om 'Harems, Hookahs, Odalisques & Ottomans' with Geri Parlby speaking. Two lectures - 10am-13.00

Exeter Central Library. Lifts available. 

Application Form HERE

Image: 'A fine muslim lady reclining in her harem by a smoking hooka' by Col Wellcome and courtesy of wikimedia and creative commons license

 Study Day Tuesday 25th March 2025

“Blondes have more fun” - the Colourful World of David Hockney

Hockney has painted in many different styles and used a wide variety of media. A fine draughtsman, his 1960's graffiti-like paintings contrasted with other styles including precise naturalism and experimentation with photography. In recent years, he has created works using i-Phones, i-Pads and multi-camera videos seen at the Royal Academy and Tate Britain.

Lecturer - Frank Woodhouse

Frank Woodhouse has been a Lecturer and Guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, for the Art Fund, the National Trust, U3A and other organisations. 

Venue - The Rougemont Room, Exeter Central Library. 1st floor (lift available)

Registration 9.30-10.00am.

Programme

Ø  1st lecture session10am -11.00am;

Ø  Coffee/tea 11.00 -11.30am

Ø  2nd lecture session11.30 – 12.45;

Ø  Lunch break12.45-2.00pm;

Ø  3rd lecture session 2.00 -3.00pm.

Cost - £30 to include tea and coffee.

Payment by BACS to – Lloyds Bank 30-93-14 Account No.00149155

The Arts Society Exeter Reference - your surname.

Please send an email confirming your payment to:  see52bee2@gmail.com

Booking form click here to download/print 

Image courtesy of Creative Commons : 

"The Road Across The Wolds 1997" by David Hockney (Salts Mill Gallery, Saltaire, West Yorkshire)

Sorry - full 

Study Half Day Tuesday November 26th 2024
‘When England had scarcely begun’

2 lectures to cover Sutton Hoo and other 7th Century hoards and the Lindisfarne Gospels

Lecturer Mark Cottle MA

Venue - The Rougemont Room, Exeter Central Library

Time - Registration from 9.30am,
First lecture 10am
Refreshments 11am
Second lecture 11.30am
Finish by 1pm

Cost - £20 to include tea/coffee and biscuits

Payment - by BACS to - Lloyds Bank 30-93-14
Account number- 00149155 Arts Society Exeter Reference - your surname

Please send an email confirming your payment to -
Linda Hyde - study.exeter@theartssociety.org

Alternatively please complete the form below and send with a
cheque made payable to ‘ The Arts Society Exeter ‘ to
Linda Hyde 26 Princess Alexandra Court, Bonhay Road, Exeter
EX4 3BZ with a SAE if you require a posted receipt, otherwise
confirmation will be acknowledged by email

Application form click HERE

Image photo by Ken Eckert courtesy of wikimedia commons 

Now cancelled as not enough people to  break even

So sorry  to disappoint

Refunds will be issued to those who paid.

Please email chrisjmumby@yahoo.co.uk

This is now full BUT  booking open for Tuesday June 4th for repeat of this study day in Exeter Library 

3 lectures with Arts Society lecturer and art historian with

Clare Ford-Wille, who teaches at the University of London,

and has lectured at the V&A & National Gallery.

Please email chair.exeter@theartssociety.org to book your place. Thanks.

Lecture 1: From Dead Trees to Living Trees in Medieval and Renaissance Art

Lecture 2: The Tree Triumphant in 16th and 17th Century Painting

Lecture 3: The Diversity of the Tree in 18th and 19th Century Art

£30 for all day 10am - 3.30pm incl tea/coffee and Danish pastries at coffee time. 

Registration from 9.30am at Exeter Library, The Rougemont Room. First floor (lift available) 

Booking form under Documents (link here)

or go to 'Our Society' and Scroll down to Documents 

Image courtesy of: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/

Cultural Experiments in the Weimar Republic 

Held at the Rougemont Room at Exeter Central Library from 9.30am -1pm (on first floor - lift available) Booking Forms available from Tab 'Our Society' - scroll down to Documents.

2 lectures by Gavin Plumley looking at the arts world in the period when Germany was a republic - namely 1918-1933.

After World War I, artists and architects were in a state of flux, just like the world they inhabited. How could they create and what, indeed, would they produce in a Europe still reeling from the worst conflict ever known? Yet out of crisis came a truly stimulating period of artistic endeavour. Contemplating painters such as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix and Christian Schad, alongside the experiments of the Bauhaus, new film technologies and the sultry stylings of Marlene Dietrich, this talk looks at the culture of German-speaking Europe during the interwar years.

Gavin Plumley:

A writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and contributing to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Image : Versuchug des HI Antonius by Max Beckmann courtesy of Allie Caulfield and Creative Commons 

Art & Culture of Andalusia Study day - 3 talks with Ian Cockburn

Starts at 10.00 with doors opening from 9.30am

Ends about 3.15pm - with coffee break (11am) and lunch hour (12.45-14.00)

Held in Exeter Central Library, Rougemont Room first floor (lift available)

Booking form to be found in Documents section (at bottom of Our Society) from 2023 and price tbc

Image of the Alhmabra by Jim Gordon courtesy of Creative Commons - This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

There will be a  Study half day of 2 lectures, 10-1pm, given by Dr Angie Smith on The Art and Architecture along the Silk Road on Tuesday 15th November at the Rougemont Room Exeter Central Library. Details and the booking form can be found on this website under Our Society/Documents. Cost £20 per person. This event is now full. 

Contact Linda Hyde Study Day Secretary email thehydes@btinternet.com
 

This event will take place on 15th March. It is fully booked.

Their Beliefs,Architecture & Artefacts

(Venue: the Rougemont Room, Exeter Library)

John will explore the beginnings of this group of religious dissidents that grew out of Quakerism in mid-18c. England. They went on to establish themselves in agrarian communities in the north-eastern states of America where they attempted to build Utopia, their Heaven on Earth

Their very distinctive plain buildings and furniture fetch high prices at auction today and have inspired the modern fashion for ‘Shaker style’ domestic interiors.

Both beliefs and way of life will be discussed as well as examples of their wonderful buildings and furniture.For it is only with such an understanding of their devout faith and lifestyle that the beauty of their intriguing legacy can be fully appreciated.

John Ericson was formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education.He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant and this has given him the opportunity to give presentations all over the world.His Arts Society talks have been similarly widespread.He is particularly interested in the role of pictures in learning.
   

The booking form for this event can be found Our Society/Documents

This will be a Zoom presentation timed for 11-12 and 2-3 on 24 Nov.2020

Three famous explorers dominate the story of Antarctic exploration: Scott,Amundsen and Shackleton. We will focus on their expeditions from 1902-1912,including the race to the Pole between Scott and Amundsen.Herbert Ponting’s photographs and Edward Wilson’s watercolours provide a visual and evocative record of this frozen world and these pioneering expeditions into the unknown.

On Shackleton’s third expedition south in 1914,his ship,the Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice and crushed.After camping for months on the ice,Shackleton ‘s men rowed to a remote island.From there,Shackleton sailed for help to South Georgia over 800 miles away,later returning to rescue his men. Frank Hurley was the expedition’s official photographer. The presentation will use his photographs of this epic journey which capture eloquently one of the greatest survival stories of polar history.

Mark Cottle was born on the Isles of Scilly. He was educated at Truro School and the University of Birmingham. He has spent his career in education and training at home and abroad.He also currently runs two small companies providing training and study breaks.We welcome him back to Exeter for this ‘new’ venture.

BOOKING FORM UNDER ‘OUR SOCIETY/DOCUMENTS’

Elizabeth I was a most remarkable woman of a remarkable age. Her reign was one of

the great creative periods of English history; literature, art, architecture, music and overseas exploration all reached unprecedented heights.

This study day will focus on 

      1. Personalities, portraits and miniatures (inc. Hilliard and Oliver)

      2. Houses (Of Bess Of Hardwick), Gardens, Music (Byrd, Tallis and madrigalists)

      3. Overseas exploration and expansion (Hakluyt, Drake ,Hawkins)

The aim is to demonstrate great levels of artistic achievement and to recreate something of the energy, spirit and confidence of this Golden Age.

 Mark Cottle was born on the Isles of Scilly, educated at Truro School and the University of Birmingham. His career has been spent in education & training at home and abroad. He also currently runs two small companies providing training and study breaks. He has been to Exeter several times before.

 Venue, Times & Cost: the Study Day will be held in the Rougemont Room, Exeter Library, from 10.00 (first session 10.30) until 15.30 with a lunch break from 12.45 to 14.30.

There are plenty of places nearby for lunch, including the ground floor cafe in the library.

Cost for the day, including tea/coffee and pastries, will be £26

The booking form can be found under Our Society/ Documents

Great collectors and their collections, fakes & forgeries plus personal appraisals of members’ own objects with Marc Allum, Antiques Roadshow Specialist   

Session 1: The Anatomy of Collecting – The History of Collecting and Great Collectors Through History An intriguing journey through the history of the ‘cabinet of curiosity’ and the origins of our modern museums. Based on decades of personal experience - as both a collector and auctioneer - Marc’s talk will explore some of the great collectors from history, including John Tradescant, whose collection founded the Ashmolean in Oxford, together with a fascinating insight into the alchemy, myth and folklore which inspired their curiosity. 

Session 2: Fakes and Forgeries Marc’s personal interests extend into many areas and his reputation for divining the unusual is well known. His passion for collecting ‘fakes’ forms a wonderful insight into the history of forgeries and reproductions and encompasses examples from many famous cases, including paintings, antiquities and silver, whilst also exploring the all-important subject of provenance.    Session 3: Bring an Object Talk A captivating and spontaneous talk based on objects brought in by the audience, which in true Antiques Roadshow style, will test Marc’s ‘miscellaneous’ skills in translating all manner of artefacts into an entertaining and informative journey through history. From ceramics to silver, ethnographic items to militaria, Marc will bring the objects to life with a mixture of anecdotes, humour and solid facts. 

Venue:  Best Western Tiverton Hotel, Blundells Road, Tiverton EX16 4DB Timings:  10.00 for 10.30 start  (Close 3.30pm) Cost:  £39, including coffee on arrival and two course buffet lunch 

A booking form for this event can be found under Our Society/Documents

For centuries, China was a country closed to Europeans but with a rich artistic tradition, inspired by the natural world and Chinese beliefs in the mountains of the immortals.  Chinoiserie was a whimsical and fanciful European response to the exotic designs on Chinese porcelain, wallpaper and furniture combined with a flavour of Japan and India.  It influenced European decorative arts, architecture and garden design from the 17th to the 18th centuries. This day of special interest looks at chinoiseries origin in Chinese myths, legends, fairytales and mountain lore and explores the ways in which these real and imaginary worlds merged and were reproduced on Chinese wallpaper, silks and porcelain for export to the West.  The European reaction to this is considered, first during the earliest chinoiseries of the Baroque, later with the lightness of Rococo. Some famous examples of chinoiserie are the porcelains of Meissen, Bow and Worcester, japanned cabinets, the furniture in the Chippendale style, the interiors of Claydon House and Saltram House, the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, the pagoda at Kew and the tea-house at Potsdam.

BARBARA HAWORTH is a lecturer at the V&A, a guide for tours of the State Rooms and Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

She has catalogued the collection of Chinese porcelain at Kensington Palace and is a member of the French Porcelain Society.  For fouteen years she was the senior ceramics specialist at Christie's and Bonhams head offices

Venue: Rougemont Room, Exeter Library

The Thames has always fascinated English and foreign artists alike. The river’s influence is out of all proportion to its meagre size. In fact, no river, no London.

A diversity of painted images, engravings, drawings and posters will be examined, often in close-up detail. Enchanting Frost Fairs, picturesque Old London Bridge, the Boat Race and Tower Bridge will all be featured.

Session 1 ‘Great Beginnings’ includes the panoramas of Wenceslaus Hollar.

Session 2 ‘From Canaletto to Turner’ focuses on the differences between these famous artists.

Session 3 ’The Victorian era’ looks at Monet as well as lesser known artists like Atkinson Grimshaw and Tissot.

Andrew Davies is a very experienced Arts Society lecturer and OU tutor. He has contributed to radio and TV programmes and is the author of nine books, including ‘The East End Nobody Knows’. He leads walking tours in historic London.

Booking form  can  be found by going to the home page of this site and clicking on "Our Society" followed by "Documents". .

Art Nouveau was the first attempt to create an international modern style.It had its fullest flowering on the European Continent during the 1890s. At this time progressive architects and designers renounced the tired formulae of historicism in favour of a ‘New Art’.The first lecture begins with examples of Art Nouveau set alongside pieces from the following Art Deco period, so that a clear distinction can be made between the two styles. We will then look at how the English designers such as William Morris, Charles Voysey and Aubrey Beardsley were the first to break with the past.Influenced by nature, and the clarity and simplicity of Japanese artefacts, their work pointed a new way forward;  and the influential store Liberty’s of London played a crucial role in importing and commissioning new designs.

The second lecture shows how the various countries in continental Europe responded to the New Art, firstly looking at Belgium and France.  Hector Guimard’s organic, plant-like forms for the Paris Metro as well as Rene Lalique’s naturalistic jewellery demonstrate the mainstream of Art Nouveau. We look at Gaudi’s fantastical designs in Barcelona, and then move to Scandinavia, taking a close look at the prevailing National Romanticism of Finland.   

After lunch we will examine quite a different manifestation of Art Nouveau. This comes in the rectilinear forms of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Scotland and his Austrian contemporaries, Olbrich and Hoffman in Vienna. The early work of the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright is brought into context and the afternoon closes with the exquisite glass designs of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Anthea studied the Fine and Decorative Arts in London and continued her studies at Harvard University. It was while at Harvard, where there was great enthusiasm for American design, that she became interested herself in 20th century architecture. Since returning from America she has taught on courses in Oxford and London, lectured on the Country House course in Sussex, and for several private groups around the country. Special interest in the architecture and design of 20th century.

This study day will take place in the Rougemont Room, Exeter Library. It will cost £25.00 per head and will run from10.00 to 16.00 hours. The full itinerary and booking form have been emailed to members but they can also be found by going to the home page of this site and clicking on "Our Society" followed by "Documents". 

 Ireland has had a long and troubled history, a history inevitably linked to that of England. But it is a history marked with many artistically fruitful side effects.  Indeed, influences from a wider European world were often of equal or greater importance.  This is especially true of the Early Christian period when Christianity was introduced into Ireland.  The study day will begin with an examination of this world, a world which produced the greatest religious works of art in manuscripts such as The Book of Kells and the metalwork such as The Ardagh Chalice.

The later Middle Ages saw England's direct involvement in Ireland, and the effect of this relationship will be examined as more sophisticated buildings were introduced by the Normans from the late twelfth century onwards.  Walled towns, strong castles and churches built in the Gothic style bear ample testament to the vigour of their earlier attempts at conquest and settlement.  That this settlement did not fully succeed explains the at times low place of the arts amongst both native Celtic and invading Norman elites.  Subsequent attempts by the Tudor and Sturat dynasties to bring Ireland to heel meant that the settled conditions necessary for the creation of fine architecture and the patronage painters and decorative artists did not prevail.  Thus, there is no renaissance or baroque to be found in the Emerald Isle!

By the end of the seventeenth century with the final defeat of the old "Catholic" Ireland and the emergence of the new "Protestant and Ascendancy" Ireland, conditions changed.  With peace came prosperity and so too did the desire to improve the quality of the buildings and to decorate and furnish them in the most up-to-date contemporary English and European fashions.  In fact, the land-owning classes of whatever religious or political background spent on a lavish scale during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  It is this roistering, devil-may-care world which forms the main focus of the day.  A number of important houses will be analysed in considerable detail.

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, has been teaching in Exeter Community Centre for a few years and would like to expand its audience and series of classes, for beginners through to advanced.  RSN Tutors Helen Jones and Auburn Claire Lucas are teaching beginner, mixed and advanced classes between now and July and they would love to welcome enthusiastic stitchers from the south west region.

The forthcoming classes are:  ‘Stitching for the Terrified: Oak Tree’ in March; ‘Stumpwork & Silk Shading: Violets’ in June and ‘Advanced Elizabethan Stitches: Elizabethan Sweet Peas’ in July.  Tuition is delivered in small, friendly classes to a maximum of 12 students, with expert RSN Tutors bringing a wealth of experience, technical knowledge and enthusiasm to each one.

Steeped in history with unrivalled expertise in the techniques of hand embroidery, the Royal School of Needlework has taken this captivating, traditional art and made it relevant today.

The Royal School of Needlework also offers Embroidery Services at its Studio in Hampton Court Palace creating beautiful bespoke commissions for the future as well as restoring historical textiles and bringing heirlooms back to life. Customers come from all over the world, including fashion designers, Oscar nominees, cathedrals, private individuals and the Royal Family.  The RSN’s close links with royalty started when it was founded in 1872, and still continue today with Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall, as Patron.

For more information visit www.royal-needlework.org.uk or email Noleen.Wyatt-Jones@royal-needlework.org.uk

STUDY DAY: WEDNESDAY 4TH APRIL 2018

THE ART of THE ISLANDS: Pictish, Anglo-Saxon

& Viking Art in the early Middle Ages.

Professor Michelle Brown is a cultural historian with a particular interest in: History, Art History & Archaeology from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance; Medieval & Illuminated Manuscript Studies; Celtic, Pictish, Anglo-Saxon &Viking visual culture; contacts between the Near East & the West in the early Middle Ages; early Christian Culture and Early Cornwall. Many members will remember her fascinating study day on Illuminated Medieval Manuscripts given in November 2016, I am confident this day will be equally stimulating.

Venue, Times & Cost: the study day will be held in the Rougement Room , Exeter Library

10.00 am: tea/coffee and pastries available on arrival;

10.30 – 11.30: first lecture;

11.45 – 12.45: second lecture;

12.45 – 14.15: lunch break; tea/coffee & biscuits available on return at 14.15

14.30 – 15.30: third lecture. Day closes at 16.00

Cost for the day: £ 27.25 per head (including refreshments on arrival & after lunch break)

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BOOKING FORM: to be returned to Anita Filer-Cooper, Eastlands, Copplestone, Crediton EX17 5NR by 14/02/2018. NB. Forms arriving after 16th January will be acknowledged as soon as possible after 12th February. This delay will not indicate that you have been unsuccessful in obtaining a place.

Name/Names:........................................................................................................................

Address:..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................

Telephone:................................................e-mail:....................................................................

I/We enclose a cheque (made payable to The Arts Society Exeter) for £.........................

Bookings will be confirmed by e-mail where possible. If you wish to receive confirmation by post please send sae

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest continuously occupied castle in the world. It has been enlarged and modified throughout its 900 year history to reflect the needs, ambitions and styles of various monarchs. As such, the castle has veolved from an impregnable fortress into a royal countyr residence which as well as being the queens favourite home, is regularly used by her on special occaisons. The restoration of the castle after the 1992 fire allowed Her Majesty to build on the developoment of the structure. The lecture shows how today's castle has grown from its 11th century origins and how the evolution relates to the personalities, tastes and foibles of its Royal occupants and to the history of Britain.

OLIVER EVERETT was educated at Cambridge University and did postgraduate work at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA and at the London School of Economics.  Following service in the Foreign Office he was assistant private secretary to the Prince of Wales and then private secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales.

He has been Librarian at the Royal Library, Windsor Castle and is a well loved Arts Society lecturer with a deep knowledge of his subject.

Venue: Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre

Date: Thursday March 15th 2018

Cost £38 to include coffee on arrival and a two course lunch

Start time 10.00 for 10.30am

Finishing at about 3.30pm

CONTACT Sheila Hughes   01395 516373

www.sheilaswstudydays@gmail.com

The Arts Society: 0217 430 0730 Heritage Volunteering Gold work Course 13th March 2018

HERITAGE VOLUNTEERS’ COURSE

“GOLD WORK

FOR BEGINNERS AND IMPROVERS”

South West, Wessex and West Mercia Areas

Tuesday 13th March 2018

10.30 – 3.30

At Saltford Community Hall - BS31 3BY

Tutor: Barbara Butler (Bath Textile Artist and Teacher)

£35 to include sandwich lunch, teas and coffees

A requirements list will be sent in early February.

Some materials will be available at cost on the day.

Further Information: dilysfarrant@greenbee.net

NB: cut-off date for applications, 20th December 2017

The Arts Society: 0217 430 0730 Heritage Volunteering Gold work Course 13th March 2018

Course Application Form

“Gold work for Beginners and Improvers”

13th March 2018

I would like to attend the Regional Arts Society Gold work course at Saltford

Community Hall

I am a beginner/Improver

Name:

Address:

Telephone:

Mobile No:

Email address:

Special dietary requirements:

The details provided above are protected by the Arts Society and will not be used

for any other purpose than this course.

Please enclose a cheque for £35 payable to Mrs D Farrant.

NB. A refund will be available only if a waiting list is in operation and another

person is able attend.

Final Date for application: 20th December 2017.

Please complete and return this slip together with your cheque and an SAE, to:

The Arts Society HV Textiles Co-ordinator,

Mrs Dilys Farrant, 2, Copper Beech, Nore Road, Bristol, BS20 7QP

Precise details will be sent in early February 2018

Queries to Dilys Farrant 01275 390382

Email: dilysfarrant@greenbee.net

At the Forefront of European Architecture?

A review of West Country cathedrals in the Decorated period

Venue:        Exeter Cathedral

Date:          Thursday 8 March 2018

Time:          10:00 – 16:00

Cost:           £35

Speakers:

John Allan
Consultant archaeologist to Exeter Cathedral

Jon Cannon
University of Bristol

Jerry Sampson
Consultant archaeologist to Wells Cathedral

Tim Tatton-Brown
Independent scholar, former consultant archaeologist to Salisbury Cathedral

The West of England has some of the finest and most innovative cathedral architecture in Europe.  This day of lectures brings together speakers with unique knowledge of four of the West Country’s medieval cathedrals.  They will explore the development of the Decorated style of the early 14th century, when the region was at the forefront of European design.

The presentations will focus on the cathedral buildings at Salisbury, Wells, Exeter and Bristol, which each saw major construction programmes at this time.  At Salisbury the dramatic central tower and spire were built.  At Wells the choir, chapter house and central tower were constructed.  The work at Exeter resulted in the most complete example of the

English Decorated style, containing many innovative features.  At Bristol there was also innovative design which is unique to cathedral architecture.  These four cathedrals are linked by the movement of master masons between them and the interchange of ideas.  If time permits, other relevant buildings in the West Country may also be explored.

The day aims to provide a new insight into these great cathedrals and will be suitable for anyone with an interest in these buildings or with a general interest in Gothic architecture.

This is a joint venture between the Friends of Exeter Cathedral and the Devon fund raising committee of the Art Fund.

Tickets will be available from Exeter Cathedral via the Cathedral’s website and normal booking system, the preferred option being by telephone: 01392 285983.  Booking opened on the 1st Oct 2017.  The full programme will be published on Exeter Cathedral’s website.

“You say By-zantine and I say Byz-antine” as the song almost goes! In fact there is no right way to pronounce it, but it is certainly a subject worth studying. The Byzantine Empire flourished for over a millennium as the successor to the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean. Throughout this Study Day we will marvel at the beauty and spirituality of Byzantine Mosaics, Frescoes, Ivories, Jewellery, Illuminated Manuscripts, Churches and Icons. We will also see how this magnificent art form was able to influence the developing artistic traditions of its powerful neighbours in the west and east.

Geri is a former Fleet Street journalist and film publicist. She has a first class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate from Roehampton University in London. She has been lecturing for the past eleven years both in the UK and internationally. She is also principal lecturer on the The Arts Society South West Area’s History of Art course and is an Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. 

The Art of North America, From the Sublime to the Real

FRANK WOODGATE is an experienced lecturer and guide at the Tate, Tate Modern and Dulwich Gallery.

This new study day will explore the evolution and energy of  North American art at the same time as the development of new nations.

In this study day we shall follow the progress of American art from the time of the early American settlers at the end of the 18th century, through the 19th and into the development of modern art in the USA in the 20th.

Venue: The Best Western Hotel, TIVERTON EX16 4DB

Date: Wednesday 22nd November 2017

Cost £36 to include coffee on arrival and a two course lunch

Start time 10.00 for 10.30am

Finishing at about 3.30pm

CONTACT Sheila Hughes   01395 516373

www.sheilaswstudydays@gmail.com

Hanne Sutcliffe lectures extensively to museums, art and historical societies. She has also been a guide, lecturer and researcher on numerous tours to China, lectured in Australia, South Africa, the USA, throughout Europe and on cruise ships in the Far East. She is extra-mural lecturer at Leeds University and Harrogate College, has published “Chinese Ceramics at Lotherton Hall” and is a Council Member of the Oriental Ceramics Society.

The Study Day: No highway in the world is as laden with romance and adventure as the Silk Road (from 2nd century BC to 10th century AD). It was the world’s largest trade route, linking China with the Mediterranean 8,000 km (5,000 miles) crossing the most spectacular and inaccessible regions of Asia. Merchants, travellers and monks crossed “burning” desserts and snow-capped mountains carrying silk, jade, carpets, spices, glass, lapis lazuli and other luxury goods. Buddhist monks created hundreds of stunning colourful fresco/painted cave temples at oasis towns on the route. Centuries of sand and dust covered the beautiful Buddhist caves and shrines, oases and cities were left in isolation for over a thousand years until the late 19th century when the mysterious lure of the Silk Routes drew western archaeologists to excavate sites and uncover astonishing, remarkable artefacts.

The study day will tell the story of the trade routes, from Alexander the Great (4th century BC), the first recorded person to traverse the early trade routes of the future Silk Road, through all stages of its development until sea routes curtailed its use in 14th century AD. It will look at recent excavations including: cave temples Dunhuang, Bezeklik; the Silk Road’s Mummies; Gandara and Bactria (ancient Afghanistan) and the Tillya Tepe Gold Hoard.

Times, venue and cost: the study day will commence with tea/coffee and pastries at 10.00am; the lunch break will be from 12.45 – 14.15; the afternoon session will commence with tea/coffee and biscuits at 14.15, finishing at 16.00. In view of disappointing sandwiches provided at the last study day we are not using the library’s contract caterers. Light lunch can be purchased from the library cafe or many catering facilities are available nearby in the city.

The venue will be the Rougement Room of Exeter Library. The cost for the day will be: £26.00 (inclusive of refreshments on arrival and before the afternoon lecture).

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BOOKING FORM: to be returned to Anita Filer-Cooper, Eastlands, Copplestone, CreditonEX17 5NR by 10th February 2017

I/We wish to attend the Study Day: The Ancient Silk Road & its Hidden Art Treasures; 23/02/17

Name/Names:...........................................................................................................................

Address:....................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Telephone: ................................................. e-mail: ................................................................

I/We enclose a cheque (made payable to DEVONDFAS) for: £ ...................................

Bookings will be confirmed by e-mail where possible. If you wish to have confirmation posted please send sae.

Professor Michelle Brown is Professor Emeritus in Medieval Manuscript Studies, SAS, University of London; she was formerly the Curator of Medieval & Illuminated Manuscripts, British Library & is Lay Cannon, St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Michelle is a cultural historian with a particular interest in: History, Art History & Archaeology from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance; Medieval & Illuminated Manuscript Studies; Celtic, Pictish, Anglo-Saxon & Viking visual culture; contacts between the Near East & West in the early Middle Ages; early Christian Culture; Early Cornwall.

The Study Day: will commence with coffee and pastries at 10 am and consist of 3 lectures:

1. 10.30 – 11.30: Makers, Users and Techniques;

2. 11.45 – 12.45: The Illuminated Book before 1200 AD (overview);

3. 14.30 – 15.30: The Illuminated Book after 1200 AD (overview).

Venue & Cost: the study day will be held in the Rougement Room of Exeter Library. The cost including coffee & pastries on arrival and coffee & biscuits during the lunch break will be £ 26.50 per head. A lunch of sandwiches & fruit can be provided at an additional cost of £6.20 per head, or members can avail themselves of the café on the ground floor.

BOOKING FORM: to be returned to Anita Filer-Cooper, Eastlands, Copplestone, Crediton EX17 5NR by 20th October 2016

I/We wish to attend the Study Day: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts on 3rd November

Name/Names:..........................................................................................................................

Address:....................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

Telephone:..........................................E-mail:..........................................................................

I/We enclose a cheque (made payable to DEVONDFAS) for:......................................................... (£26.50 per head without lunch; £32.70 to include lunch)

Bookings will be confirmed by e-mail where possible. If you wish to have confirmation posted, please send sae.