Constantinople to Istanbul review – you won’t want to leave this lavish celebration of double imperial splendour
V&A, London Treasures from the two world-defining cultures that somehow coexisted in one mighty city keep on dazzling in this gorgeous, unmissable show Two empires compete to bewitch you in this exhibition that offers a double bubble of beauty. It collides the Byzantine empire, whose capital Constantinople was officially inaugurated on 11 May AD330, with the Ottoman Turks who conquered this great city in 1453 and…
Key points
- The exhibition compares the Byzantine and Ottoman empires in Constantinople/Istanbul.
- It features luxury items like a marble icon of St Eudokia and a gold-woven kaftan.
- It includes a 1480 portrait of Sultan Mehmed II by Gentile Bellini.
A new exhibition at the Guardian Culture explores the Byzantine and Ottoman empires through the city of Constantinople, later Istanbul. The Byzantine capital was officially inaugurated on 11 May AD330, and the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453, turning it into Istanbul. The Ottoman empire was dissolved in 1922.
The show brings together art and artifacts from both empires, described as a "double bubble of beauty" that collides the two lost worlds. It includes luxury items such as a marble icon of St Eudokia and a 16th-century kaftan probably worn by Sultan Selim II.
Artifacts and luxury
Among the exhibits are a marble icon of the martyred abbess St Eudokia, inlaid with coloured glass and precious stones, and a kaftan made of zerbaft, a fabric said to be "woven from gold". Blue and white glazed tiles from a hamam and wooden foot supports inlaid with mother of pearl are also on display.
The exhibition includes relics from Constantine's palace, such as a mosaic fragment showing a large moustached face, and objects from the Hippodrome, including a bronze snake head from the Serpent Column and ivory reliefs of consuls holding a mappa to start the games.
Hagia Sophia breaking away from its chains of captivity
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ottoman Renaissance and Hagia Sophia
A section on the Ottoman empire features Gentile Bellini's 1480 portrait of Sultan Mehmed II, painted from life, and a late 16th-century wooden chest for a Qur'an shaped like a dome. The show explores whether there was an Ottoman Renaissance, noting Ottoman interest in Renaissance art and the influence of Hagia Sophia on later mosques.
The exhibition also addresses Hagia Sophia's recent change from museum to mosque in 2020 under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who described it as "Hagia Sophia breaking away from its chains of captivity".
