LONDON.- Today, the V&A opens Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires, a major exhibition that explores 1,600 years of extraordinary artistic production in one of the world’s most influential cities. Spanning AD 330 to 1922, it brings 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. The first exhibition in the UK to tell this story in full, it offers a compelling new perspective on a city defined by artistic excellence across more than a millennium.
The city once called Constantinople and now called Istanbul was the imperial and religious capital at the heart of two successive empires: the Byzantine (AD 330–1453) and the Ottoman (1453–1922), and the exhibition explores their distinct yet connected traditions of art and design, built across sixteen centuries. It follows changes in patronage and production that reflect the ups and downs of the city’s history, and the lasting impact its creative output had in the Christian and Islamic worlds.
Tim Stanley, Curator of Constantinople to Istanbul, said: “Creating this exhibition has been an exciting adventure, bringing together two worlds that are usually kept well apart – the Byzantines and the Ottomans. Their capital – known first as Constantinople and then as Istanbul – was and is one of the greatest cities in the world, and the artistic ideas generated there in its double history as an imperial capital still play a major role in the world. By combining the stories of these two empires and the amazing art they both produced, we have been able to release the stories of Constantinople and Istanbul from their separate boxes and let them enjoy the limelight together.”
The exhibition showcases over 200 objects across four main sections, including rarely seen decorative arts such as fine silks and textiles (including historical dress), ceramic tiles, mosaics and tableware, precious metalwork and jewellery, as well as sculpture and architectural furnishings, works on paper, manuscripts and paintings. The exhibition brings together famous and rarely seen objects from the V&A collection and significant national and international loans, with many on display in the UK for the first time, including the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, Vehbi Ko Foundation’s Sadberk Hanım Museum, Benaki Museum, Treasury of San Marco in Venice, British Museum and British Library.
Through creative staging and immersive design, the exhibition transports visitors to the bustling streets of the city, evoking key sites of leisure, culture, trade and worship, from the Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome.
Highlights include:
- A unique 11th century miniaturized triptych designed to be worn around the neck, intricately worked in cloisonn enamel. This exquisite example of Byzantine goldsmiths' work depicts a Byzantine courtier named Constantine, who is shown kneeling at the feet of Christ. On loan from the Wyvern Collection
- The Lincoln Typikon, a lavishly illustrated 14th Century manuscript of the Convent of the Virgin of Sure Hope, on loan from Lincoln College, Oxford and on display to the public for the first time in 60 years
- A unique Portrait of Sultan Mehmed II, painted in 1479 by Venetian artist Gentile Bellini, on loan from The National Gallery, London
- A jewelled belt of ivory from the tomb of Sultan Selim II (d. 1574). Belts and girdles of precious materials played a major role in Ottoman court dress. On loan from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul
- A velvet and silver-thread horse cover part of a stunning outfit for a mount ridden in a parade about 1600. On loan from the Benaki Museum
- The 17th-century procession scroll from the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester, which depicts an Ottoman imperial procession, portraying it in great detail for the benefit of a foreign diplomat
- One of the earliest surviving long-necked tanbur lutes (c.1750), decorated with ivory, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl from the V&A’s collection
- Fine silk examples of 18th and 19th century high-status Ottoman dress, etek entari. On loan from the Vehbi Ko Foundation’s Sadberk Hanım Museum
About the exhibition:
Grand Beginnings explores Constantinople’s refounding in AD 330 as the capital of a unified Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. It introduces the city’s strategic location and the infrastructure that underpinned its success, from advanced water systems to fortified walls whose power was reinforced by icons and relics. The section also evokes the Hippodrome, the social and political centre of the city, where chariot races served as imperial spectacle and propaganda. Highlights include mosaics and architectural fragments from early palaces and churches of the city; fine cameos of semi-precious stones and carved ivories showing the Hippodrome and its rituals; and western manuscripts showing the city just before and after the 1453 conquest.
The exhibition’s second section, Heaven and Earth explores how art and architecture were put into service of Christianity and how Byzantine emperors adopted sacred imagery to project power and authority while ensuring the survival of classical art and ideas. It looks at the visual culture of Byzantine churches, including the great 6th century Hagia Sophia, one of the most important buildings in the world, bringing together a rich range of liturgical objects including reliquaries, icons and manuscripts to show the religious material culture. It also includes fine examples of work produced in the imperial workshops, commissioned by emperors and their courtiers, with highlights that include fine jewellery, metalwork and textiles.
Then Power and Reach examines how the Ottoman court projected authority in peace and war through visual spectacle. It highlights the role of luxury materials such as silk, precious stones, ivory, silver and gold in shaping imperial identity, brought to life through grand public processions. Objects from the court including ceramics, clothing, furniture and metalwork including jewellery and armour are being shown alongside paintings and works on paper by Ottoman and European artists, capturing the splendour of the empire.
Finally, Life in the City explores the city as a cosmopolitan centre of diverse languages, faiths and artistic traditions. It brings together rare objects to reveal both religious coexistence and the rhythms of urban life, from coffee houses and bathhouses to music and leisure. This section also traces shifting tastes in the 19th century, when Parisian and other styles increasingly shaped fashion, design and modern identity of Istanbulites.
The exhibition concludes with the influence of Byzantine and Ottoman art on 19th-century Europe, highlighting prints, textiles and mosaic examples from the V&A’s collection, including work by Owen Jones and William Morris.
