Fellowship in the History of Visual Culture in the Ottoman Empire: The Celsing Collection

The Khalili Research Centre for the History of the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East and Wolfson College, University of Oxford, invite applications for a Fellowship in the History of Visual Culture in the Ottoman Empire. This will offer a scholar an exceptional opportunity to carry out research on a major, largely unpublished assemblage of artworks: the Celsing Collection. The two-year Fellowship is being established in collaboration with Lusail Institute, the research arm of the future Lusail Museum in Doha. Both early career and senior researchers are invited to apply.

The Celsing Collection of paintings and artefacts was assembled by three members of the Celsing family, Gustaf Celsing the elder (1679-1743) and his two sons, Gustaf the younger (1723-1789) and Ulric (1731-1805), during their service as Swedish diplomats in Istanbul in the 18^th century. The paintings show portraits, diplomatic receptions, architectural buildings and landscapes of Istanbul. The Celsing Collection forms an exceptional body of visual evidence about Istanbul, Ottoman-Swedish relations, the networks of European artists in Istanbul, the phenomenon of the “Oriental room” in Europe and, more broadly, European visions of the “Orient”. In 2014, it was acquired together by Qatar Museums, with a view to maintaining its historical integrity. Meanwhile, most of the family’s historical letters and documents were transferred to archives in Sweden.

The Fellowship will enable a scholar of outstanding ability to carry out research on the Celsing Collection with a view to publishing a monograph. The research is expected to lean primarily on archival documents kept in Sweden and elsewhere, in addition to the paintings themselves (*). The Fellow will be based at the Khalili Research Centre, which forms part of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) at the University of Oxford. AMES hosts one of the largest concentrations of specialists of Ottoman history and material culture in the world. In addition to the Fellow’s stipend, finding may be provided for work on archives in Sweden, Europe and/or Turkey, and (if required) to assist research in additional languages.

The Fellow will be expected to organise an international conference around the topic, and to publish its proceedings. While spending the bulk of their time working on their own research, the Fellow will be required to produce short research reports geared towards the needs of the future Lusail Museum, which is currently under development in Doha.

The Fellowship carries a stipend aligned with Oxford University salary scales.

The successful candidate should hold a doctorate in a relevant subject and preferably have significant post-doctoral research experience, including a strong publication record. The post will be tenable for two years, during which the Fellow will normally reside in Oxford.

Candidates may request further information on the Celsing Collection by contacting: krc@ames.ox.ac.uk

The closing date for applications is 3 October 2025.

(*) Due to ongoing conservation work, direct access to the paintings will be limited but the Fellow can expect to work from a set of high-resolution images.

Advert information