"The Great Exhibition of the "Works of Industry of all Nations", held in Crystal Palace in London in 1851, was the inspiration for the most important glass works within the Dolmabahce Palace which was under construction at that time, including a baccarat crystal staircase, a giant Frederick Rixon design chandelier (by Osler) weighing 4.5 tons, from London, a Gaveau - Paris made crystal piano and chair, objects among others showing proof of Ottoman modernity and integration to Europe. The architectural style of the Crystal Palace itself and its glass fountain were the models for Dolmabahce Palace’s Crystal Pavilion under the English architect William James Smith.

At the same time, the Crystal Palace was an exhibition ground for 3300 products that Ottomans proudly presented as their nation’s production, including at least twenty examples of Beykozware, including some innovative and exceptional forms that do not exist in any other culture: Gulabdan (rose water sprinklers), Laledan (a single tulip vase), Asurelik (oriental pudding bowls). This limited creation of forms is an indication that Turkish glass art has primarily been based on decoration rather than form. It is the power of tradition which has dictated the form and has found a special usage for it.

This year’s eighth and final edition of "Murano-Istanbul: A Glass Making Journey" will be exploring the moment of junction between the East and West; English, French, Ottoman and somehow all with a link to Murano incarnated in 1851 at an exhibition in Crystal Palace in London.

Speakers :
- Lale Dilbas - Prof of Ceramic & Glass and the Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design at Yasar University, Izmir,Turkey
- Makbule Merve Uca - Curator, Sadberk HanIm Museum, Istanbul, Turkey


"The Harp at the Time of Marie-Antoinette: Glass as a symbol of wisdom in the Age of Enlightenment, and the Alchemy of Sound"
A lecture / concert about the special glass panel harps to be seen at the Château de Versailles, at the request of Queen Marie-Antoinette, and the connection to the Age of Enlightenment philosophers, such as Diderot and Voltaire, followed by an overview of the harps handcrafted after the Age of Enlightenment, introduced all over Europe by English Virtuoso Elias Parish Alvars (1808- 1849) who played for the Sultan in Constantinople and composed pieces in memory of his voyage to the Bosporus.
Speaker and harpist: Florence Sitruk

Concert Programme:
- Giovanni Battista Pescetti: (*Venezia 1686-1751). Sonata in do minore for harpsichord (tr. harp)
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau Menuet for Harp
- Jean-François Dizi. Grande Sonate pour la Harpe
- Joseph Haydn. Sonata for harpsichord (tr. Harp)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Fantasia in re-minore for piano (tr. for harp by
F. Sitruk)
- Elias Parish Alvars. - Souvenirs du Bosporus for Harp solo

An aperitif will be served at the end of the event.