Melanie Gibson, author of The Arab Hall, Frederic Leighton: Traveller and Collector, will deliver a lecture to the Oriental Ceramics Society, discussing the travels of Sir Frederic Leighton, how his interest in Islamic art and architecture grew, and with it his collection of ceramics from the Mediterranean and Middle East.

The lecture is based on the recently released The Arab Hall, the first ever account of the making of the Arab Hall at Leighton House, by reputation, the ‘most beautiful room in London’.
which is available here.

The event will begin at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, the 14th of April 2026, at the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Full information available here.

Melanie Gibson, BA (Oxon) MA, PhD (SOAS, London University) is a well-known authority on Middle Eastern ceramics, writing and lecturing on them worldwide. A Council Member of the Oriental Ceramic Society, she is also a Trustee of the Al-Tajir Trust, and a Trustee of the Friends of Leighton House, where she first became fascinated by the history behind the creation of the Arab Hall.