Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires at the V&A

The V&A presents the first exhibition in the UK to tell the full story of one of the world’s greatest cities across 1,600 years. Spanning AD 330 to 1922, Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires brings together more than 200 objects to reveal the artistic legacy of an imperial capital at the heart of two successive empires — the Byzantine and the Ottoman.

Visitors journey across the city and its best-known landmarks, from the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia to Topkapı Palace and the Galata Tower, through fine silks and historical dress, ceramic tiles, mosaics, precious metalwork and jewellery, sculpture, manuscripts and paintings. Highlights include an 11th-century cloisonné enamel triptych from the Wyvern Collection, the Lincoln Typikon on public display for the first time in 60 years, Gentile Bellini’s 1479 Portrait of Sultan Mehmed II from the National Gallery, and a 17th-century Ottoman procession scroll from the John Rylands Library.

Many objects are on display in the UK for the first time, drawn from the V&A collection alongside loans from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul, the Vehbi Koç Foundation’s Sadberk Hanım Museum, the Benaki Museum, the Treasury of San Marco in Venice, the British Museum and the British Library. In partnership with Koç Holding, with support from the Huo Family Foundation.