Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: the Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More Information
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum This book analyses the rich and remarkable collection of archaeological drawings, now housed in the British Museum, drawn in Greece by a team of architects and artists in the service of Lord Elgin during his ambassadorial expedition to the Levant (1799–1803). Luciana Gallo offers a new interpretation of Elgin’s interest in antiquities and reveals the aims, innovative approach, and significant achievements of this specialised tour. She also assesses his contribution to the advancement of contemporary archaeological studies carried out by British and Continental scholars, in connection to the search for original sources to promote Greek Revival architecture. This is the first time that the bulk of the Elgin Drawings collection in the British Museum has been published. The volume will thus serve as an indispensable guide to scholars and students of ancient Greek architecture and sculpture, as well as of nineteenth-century architectural revivalism. Luciana Gallo is a RIBA chartered architect and historic building consultant, practising in London. Her education and academic career started in Italy and developed in the United Kingdom where she received a Ph.D. in history of architecture at the University of London. She carried out extensive fieldwork in the Middle East on a European Union–funded project as a Research Associate within the School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, and is now involved in a research project on the reception of Graeco-Roman antiquity in modern Europe promoted by the University of Cambridge. She is the author of Il Politeama di Palermo e l’architettura policroma dell’Ottocento. © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information L©go ak»ma qa idoÅme tiv amugdaliv n’anq©zoun ta mrmara na lmpoun ston lio th qlassa na kumat©zei L©go ak»ma, na shkwqoÅme l©go yhl»tera. A little further we shall see the almond tree in bloom marble gleaming in the sun the sea breaking into waves A little further, let us rise a little higher. Giorgos Seferis, Mythistorema: 23 (1935) © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao˜ Paulo, Delhi Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, ny 10013-2473, usa www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521881630 c Luciana Gallo 2009 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2009 Printed in the United States of America A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Gallo, Luciana. Lord Elgin and ancient Greek architecture : the Elgin drawings at the British Museum / Luciana Gallo. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-521-88163-0 (hardback) 1. Elgin, Thomas Bruce, Earl of, 1766–1841 –Artpatronage. 2.Architecture– Greece. 3. Architectural drawing – 18th century – Catalogs. 4. Architectural drawing – 19th century – Catalogs. 5. Architectural drawing – England – London – Catalogs. 6. British Museum – Catalogs. I. Title. na2695.g7e444 2009 722.8 –dc22 2008008954 isbn 978-0-521-88163-0 hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel timetables, and other factual information given in this work are correct at the time of first printing, but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee the accuracy of such information thereafter. © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information Contents List of Illustrations page vii Acknowledgements xv List of Abbreviations xvii Introduction.......................................... 1 1. EarlyExpeditionstoGreece................................3 From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance 3 The Seventeenth Century 6 The Eighteenth Century 11 2. LordElgin’sEasternExpedition.............................18 Purposes and Artistic Programme 18 Appointment of Artists 22 The Painters: Giovan Battista Lusieri and Feodor Ivanovitch 24 The Architects: Vincenzo Balestra and Sebastiano Ittar 32 Instructions to the Artists 43 3. HistoryoftheElginDrawings..............................51 Arrangement of the Elgin Drawings Collection at the British Museum 51 Chronology of the Expedition and the Attribution of the Architectural Drawings 58 The Expedition to the Morea and the Related Instructions 70 4. CriticalAnalysisoftheElginDrawings.........................83 Consistency of the Collection Held by the British Museum 83 Assessments of the Architectural Drawings by Nineteenth-Century Scholars 88 Further Analysis of the Architectural Drawings Identifying Original Contributions 122 The Drawing Method 140 Analysis of the Sculptural Drawings 157 5. Conclusions....................................... 169 v © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information vi Contents appendix 1: TranscriptionsofManuscripts........................171 appendix 2: Catalogues of the Elgin Drawings . 244 appendix 3: CriticalandTopographicalIndexoftheElginDrawings..........288 Notes 297 Bibliography 327 Index 339 © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information List of Illustrations 1. Ciriaco d’Ancona, West fac¸ade of the Parthenon, Athens page 4 2. Giuliano da Sangallo, Copy of a model of the Parthenon, Athens, based on Ciriaco d’Ancona’s drawing 4 3. Hartmann Schedel, View of Athens as a late Gothic town 5 4. Francesco Fanelli, View of the Acropolis of Athens under Morosini’s bombing in 1687 7 5. Jacques Carrey [?], Left half of the west pediment of the Parthenon, Athens 10 6. Jacques Carrey [?], Right half of the west pediment of the Parthenon, Athens 11 7. Jacob Spon, West elevation of the Parthenon, Athens 11 8. Jules-David Le Roy, Jacques-Philippe Le Bas (engr.), View of the south-east corner of the Parthenon, Athens 14 9. Louis-Leopold´ Boilly, Claude Marie Franc¸ois Dien (engr.), Bust of the Comte de Choiseul Gouffier 15 10. Luigi Mayer, Bryne (engr.), View of the theatre at Patara 25 11. Luigi Mayer, Bryne (engr.), View of the theatre at Patara 25 12. Luigi Mayer, Bryne (engr.), View of the theatre at Castel Rosso 26 13. LuigiMayer,Bryne(engr.),ViewofthetheatreatMacris 26 14. Luigi Mayer, Antonio Zacco (engr.), View of the ancient colossal bust in the collection of the Prince of Biscari 27 15. Giovan Battista Lusieri, View of the Temple of Neptune, Paestum 27 16. Giovan Battista Lusieri, View of Naples from Capodimonte, Capri in the distance 28 17. Giovan Battista Lusieri, View of the ruins of the Thermae of Caracalla 28 18. Giovan Battista Lusieri, View of the Monument of Philopappos, Athens 29 19. Giovan Battista Lusieri, Study of an owl 31 20. Giovan Battista Lusieri, View of the south-east corner of the Parthenon, Athens 31 21. Giovan Battista Lusieri, A Greek double urn 32 22. Feodor Ivanovitch, Self-portrait 33 23. Luigi Mayer, Antonio Zacco (engr.), Bust of Ignazio Paterno` Castello, Prince of Biscari 34 vii © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-88163-0 - Lord Elgin and Ancient Greek Architecture: The Elgin Drawings at the British Museum Luciana Gallo Frontmatter More information viii List of Illustrations 24. Vincenzo Balestra, Atti dell’Accademia della Pace. Soggetto Primo, tav. I: Pritaneo o edifizio per pubblici consigli 36 25. Vincenzo Balestra, Atti dell’ Accademia della Pace. Soggetto Primo, tav. II: Icnografia del Pritaneo 36 26. Vincenzo Balestra, Atti dell’Accademia della Pace. Soggetto Primo, tav. III: Ortografia interna della sala del Pritaneo 37 27. Sebastiano Ittar (attr.), Drawing of the altar built on 20 March 1798 by Giuseppe Camporese, Andrea Vici and Paolo Bargigli in St Peter’s Square, Rome, to celebrate the Federation Act Festival 38 28. Sebastiano Ittar, Etching of the drawing showing the altar built