Isabelle Imbert welcomes Dr Melanie Gibson, Art Historian specialised in Islamic ceramics, editor of the art history series at Ginkgo library, and board member and scientific advisor of the Leighton House in London. Melanie has been involved in teaching, research and edition for many years and has a wealth of experience to share. She has also participated in the restoration of the Arab hall in the London house of 19th century British artist Frederick Leighton, which will reopen to the public on the 15th October. Melanie gives us a tour of the house and explain in great details the intricacies of its breathtaking decors and the constitution of Leighton’s collection.
Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links
- Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and Twitter
- Follow Melanie Gibson on Instagram and Academia
- Melanie Gibson, “‘An Oriental Kiosk’: The Building of the ‘Arab Hall’ at Leighton House in London”, Orientations, 2020 (on academia.edu)
- Gingko Library’s website
- Leighton House, London (official website)
- Shahrzad Ghaffari’s website (artist responsible for the new mural in Leighton House)
- Owen Jones, The Grammar of Ornament, 1856 (on archive.org)
- Click here for more episodes of the ART Informant.
Ginkgo – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
This leaf from a tree in the East,
Has been given to my garden.
It reveals a certain secret,
Which pleases me and thoughtful people.
Does it represent One living creature
Which has divided itself?
Or are these Two, which have decided,
That they should be as One
To reply to such a Question,
I found the right answer:
Do you notice in my songs and verses
That I am One and Two?
Reproductions of Artworks discussed in the Episode (click on the images to see more information)
