The Enlightenment Gallery: fifth anniversary
250th anniversary of the public opening of the British
Museum
Exhibition
The Sámi magic drum
27 November 2008 – 18 January 2009
Room 3
Admission free
A display focusing on a Sámi shaman drum and how it acts as a
window into another world.
Gallery talks and readings
Admission free, no pre-booking
The Mozarts as Enlightenment ethnographers
Tuesday 18 November, 13.15
Room 1
Cliff Eisen
Aeronautic adventures in the Enlightenment
Saturday 29 November, 13.15
Room 1
Clare Brant
Mrs Montague and the Enlightenment salon: readings from her
letters
Saturday 6 December, 13.15
Room 1
Clare Barlow
Friendship, science and Enlightenment
Saturday 13 December, 13.15
Room 1
Elizabeth Eger
Mrs Delany – flowers and landscape: readings from her
letters
Wednesday 17 December, 13.15
Room 1
Kim Sloan
The skull beneath the skin: Damien Hirst’s Cornucopia
at the British Museum
Thursday 15 January, 13.15
Room 1
Frances Carey
Lectures
‘Going thru’ life tolerably’: an appreciation of Sir William
Hamilton
Thursday 30 October, 18.30
Stevenson Lecture Theatre
David Constantine, Queen’s College, Oxford, discusses Sir
William Hamilton, his contribution to classical studies, his
passion for volcanoes and his dealings with Winkelmann, Goethe and
Emma.
Part of the Enlightenment
Lives series run by the Centre for Life-Writing Research at
King’s College
An Enlightenment life? Philip Francis, the Empire and
women
Thursday 22 January, 18.30
Stevenson Lecture Theatre
Philip Francis was an Irish intellectual who supported the
American and French revolutions, opposed slavery and criticised the
British empire in India and elsewhere. His reputation as an
Enlightenment figure stands high, but most Victorians viewed him as
a duplicitous politician and a hopeless rake. Linda Colley,
Princeton University, brings together competing visions of Philip
Francis.
Part of the
Enlightenment Lives series run by the
Centre for Life-Writing Research at King’s College
Performances
SMITH
13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 November, 20.00
Room 1
£7, concessions £5, 80 places per performance
The oldest story ever told is buried, lost to the merciless
desert sands of an ancient, fallen city. In the book-lined
galleries of Victorian England a young man struggles to find his
place, while a late-night visitor to the British Museum is
enthralled by the building’s past.
To accompany the special exhibition Babylon: Myth
and Reality, Insite Performance Company present
SMITH, a site-specific performance created for the Enlightenment
Gallery and inspired by the discovery of the Flood Tablet.
The performance is 70 minutes, plus an interval of 15
minutes.
Please note that the audience will be standing throughout the
performance. If you have access needs, please telephone +44 (0)20
7323 8850 in advance.
Or telephone the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181
Or book tickets in person at the Box Office, open daily 10.00 to
16.45
Music in the Enlightenment Gallery: Mozart’s Models
Friday 12 December, 18.30–20.00
Room 1
Admission free, just drop in
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the opening of the
Enlightenment Gallery, Janiculum perform works by composers which
served as models for Mozart's music, including Abel, Anfossi, JC
Bach and Galuppi.
Restricted seating
Meet Sir Hans Sloane
Thursday 15 January, 14.30–17.00 and 18.00–20.00
Room 1
Admission free, just drop in
Come to the Enlightenment Gallery and talk with Sir Hans Sloane,
founder of the British Museum, to celebrate the 250th anniversary
of the opening of the British Museum on 15 January 1759.