The Islamic galleries at the Fitzwilliam Museum exhibit a large display of ceramics, with a focus on medieval Iran and early modern Turkey. The gallery also includes a set of glass objects and a collection of coins from early Islam to the modern period. The extensive array of ceramics in the galleries tell interesting stories, even though they may not be readily apparent to a first-time visitor.

The goal of this visit was to introduce the participants to the vast array of materials from the Islamic lands and provide a flavour of the rich stories that the objects embody. For instance, the blue-and-white ceramics from Iraq in the 9th century tell us about the early trading relationships with China; ceramic materials and techniques of stonepaste and lustre showcase the technological innovations in medieval Iran; and the naturalistic botanical motifs in Iznik ceramics from Turkey and Damascus provide insight into aesthetics and their religio-political significance during the early modern period.

The second part of this session included a drawing workshop, where participants were encouraged to look more closely at individual objects. Some key questions for discussion included:

• What does Islamic art mean to you? Does this term work?

• How is Islamic art represented at the Fitzwilliam Museum? Which parts of the displays work? What is missing?

• Which plants can we see on art objects?