This major exhibition from the V&A will transport visitors to one of the world’s great cities, exploring its best-known landmarks, from the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia to Topkapı Palace and the Galata Tower. Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires will explore 1,600 years of this influential city. Once called Constantinople and now called Istanbul it was the imperial and religious capital at the heart of two successive empires: the Byzantine (AD 330– 1453) and the Ottoman (1453–1922), and this show will span AD 330 to 1922, it will bring together remarkable works of art, design and architecture to reveal the enduring creative legacy of an imperial capital that shaped the Mediterranean world and far beyond.
This will be the first exhibition in the UK to tell this story in full, serving up a new perspective on a city defined by artistic excellence across more than a millennium. Expect rarely seen objects dating back to 4th century, drawn from the V&A collection as well as national and international loans, including decorative arts such as fine silks and textiles, ceramic tiles, mosaics and tableware, precious metalwork and jewellery, as well as sculpture and architectural furnishings, works on paper, manuscripts and paintings.
