william hamilton archeologist or scavenger? - layers of...
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William Hamilton Archeologist or Scavenger?
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
TimelineofSirWilliamHamilton
• BorninScotlandDecember13th1730FourthsonofLordArchibaldHamilton• 1758MarriedMissBarlowdaughterandHeiressofHughBalowofLawrenny
Hall,Pembrokeshire–hegainedanestateworth5,000lireperyear.• 1761MemberofParliamentforMidhurst• 1764AppointedBriMshenvoyandplenipotenMaryatCourtofNaples• 1766ElectedamemberoftheRoyalSociety• 1766-1780PublishedobservaMonsonvolcanoesinPhilosophicalTransacMons• 1767PresentedtoBriMshMuseumacollecMonofvolcanicearthsandminerals• 1766PurchasedacollecMonofGreekvasesfromPorcinarifamily• 1772SoldthiscollecMontoBriMshMuseum/memberKnightoftheBath• 1772publishedObservaMonsonMountVesuviuswithleZerstoRoyalSociety• 1772–1784PresentstoBriMshMuseumGreekandRomanAnMquiMes• 1799AdvisesLordElginonmarbles,vases,andanMquiMes• 1791MarriesEmmaHarthismistress• 1791MadeaPrivyCouncillor• 1798AccompaniesastheKingandQueenfleetheFrenchtoPalermo• 1800SupersededasBriMshEnvoyandreturnstoEngland• 1803HamiltondiesintheirLondonresidence23Piccadilly
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
Group Questions Assignment:Asagroupyouneedtoselectoneoftheseques7onstoanswer.Lookingoverthepaperprovided,eachmembershouldfindstatementsthatdealswithyourques7on.Discussyourstatementsandarriveatagroupanswertoyourques7on.WhatDoYouThink?DidSirWilliamHamiltonabusehispowerasBriMshEnvoytoobtainanMquiMesfromancienthistoricsites?DidHamilton’ssuperbmethodologyinregardstoScienceseeminconsistentwithhisdesiretoacquireandpossessancientGreekandRomanarMfacts?
WashisgenerositytowardstheBriMshMuseumanhonorablethingtodofromamemberoftheRoyalSociety,inanaZemptatpreservingscienMficknowledgeandanMquiMesfromhistoricsites?….OrwasthisgenerositymoreofanaZempttojusMfyhisownobsession,toownthebestandthemostofwhatbecameavailableinGreekandRomanvases?Washisaudacityinusinganetchingofhissecondwife(EmmaHart)andhimselfintheactofgrave-robbingflaunMnghisdisregardforItalianLaw,prohibiMngsuchacts,inthefaceofItalianGovernment?Wasthefactthatallofhismostfamousfinds,includingthePortlandVase,madefamousinreproducMoninWedgewoodChina,neverrememberedinhisnametheulMmatefrustraMon.HowdoyouthinkHamiltonviewedhisownacMonsascomparedtohisviewsoftheFrenchcollectors?
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
Hamilton Facts • OneofthemostinfluenMalfiguresinthedevelopmentofNeo-Classicaltasteinthe
secondhalfofthe18thcenturywasSirWilliamHamilton,BriMshenvoytotheCourtofNaples.
• AlthoughHamiltonpursuedhisstudiesofgeologyasahobby,therewasnothingamateurishabouthismethodsingeology.TheaccusaMonslevelledatthemoremetaphysicalphilosophersoftheseventeenthandearlyeighteenthcenturiescouldcertainlynotapplytoHamilton.HisworkwasthoroughandmeMculous
• MuchofHamilton'smerit,too,liesinthefactthatalthoughhewasnotachemist,ametallurgistoramineralogisthimselfherecognizedthegreatneedfortheopinionsofsuchmenupontheconsMtuMonoftherockspecimensthathefound.IndeedhesenthometoEnglandmanythousandsofrockspecimensforanalysis.HamiltonwasfullyawareofhisownlimitaMonsinthisspherebutwasonlytooreadyintheinterestofscienceandnaturalphilosophytoencourageeverypursuitofknowledgetobemade.
• Hamilton'sobservaMonsuponthevolcanoesofVesuviusandEtnawereamasterpiece,foreverysmallandrelevantdetailwasaccuratelyrecorded.HeevenhiredanarMsttosketchthosefindingswhichhehadfoundmostperMnent.
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
Greek and Roman Antiquities
• "Iamsurethatthemineofthesevaseslatelydiscoveredmustfailsoon,&thereforeIhavenotletoneessenMalvaseescapeme,tho'thepriceismuchhigherthanitwasformerly.TheKingofNapleshasnowbegantopurchasethem,butmyharvestluckilywasinfirst.“
• Hamiltonhadrequestedpermission(inFrench)fromtheSecretaryofState,BernardoTanucci,toexportsomeanMquecoinsfromtheregionHeexplainedthathehadacommissionfromsomeoneinEngland,andthat,asaboatwasleavingthenextdayforLondon,hewouldliketorequestanexportpermitfortheseitems:……Thereplycamebackthesamedayfromtheking(inSpanish),sayingthatitwasprohibitedbythelawsofthekingdomtoexportanyanMquiMes,andthathewassorrytosaythatHamiltoncouldexportneithercoinsnoranyotheranMquiMesfromtheSicilies:
• Indeed,alawhadbeenpassedin1755,underCharlesIII,expresslyforbiddingtheexportofanMquiMes;andthislawwastobereenactedin1766and1769,underFerdinandhimself.Giventhesefacts,andtheking'sleZertoHamilton,wemustaskhowitwasthatSirWilliamfelthecouldignorethelawanddosomuchtraffickinginancientobjects.
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
• 'Thissamewriter,whoclearlyheldagrudgeagainstHamilton,conMnued,"Hewasjealousofallotheramateurs,andwasratherdispleasedthatIwouldnotlethimhaveasuperbvase(whichIhadpickedupaccidentally)athisownprice.“
• OtherevidenceforthequesMonablemannerinwhichHamiltonsomeMmesacquiredhisanMquiMesisfoundinadescripMonoftheambassador'sclandesMneexcavaMonsintheuntrackedcountrysideafewmilesnorthofCapua,atTrebbia.Heisreportedtohavespentafewdaystherelivingwithapeasant,soastoexcavatesometombsincognito.
• HamiltonhimselfhadallowedanengravingofoneofthetombstobeusedatachapterheadinginhisfirstvasecollecMon,andhereportedonthisexcavaMon25yearslaterinthepublicaMonofhissecondvasecollecMon.ThefronMspieceofthislaterworkshowsaquitedifferentexcavaMon,whereanelegantlydressedgentlemanandlady,surelytheambassadorandhissecondwifeEmma,arepresentattheopeningofagraveatNola.
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
• ThefollowingfiguresarequotedforhiscollecMon,whenitwassoldtotheBriMshMuseumon20March1772for8,410lire:730vases;175terracoZas;about300specimensofancientglass;627bronzes;morethan200specimensofsacrificial,domesMc,andarchitectonicinstrumentsandimplements;14bas-reliefs,busts,masks,andinscribedtablets;about150miscellaneouspiecesofancientivory;149gems;143personalornamentsingold;152fibulae;andmorethan6000coinsandmedals.
• ThemostfamouspiecethatwasbroughttoEnglandbyHamilton,butwasnotdesMnedtoberememberedbyhisname,isthePortlandVase.HehadacquiredthismasterpieceofcameoglassinRomefromJamesByresandhadbroughtitbackwithhimwhenhewasonleavein1783.
• In1789,heagainwrotehisnephew,sayingthathehadtwoorthreeextraordinarypieces,butthathewouldkeepthemhimselfratherthangivethemtotheBriMshMuseum;andthefollowingyearhewroteagaintosayhehadbought"atreasureofGreek,commonlycalledEtruscan,Vases,"butthathewouldnotbe"suchafoolastogiveorleavethemtotheBriMshMuseum,"butwouldinsteadhavethempublished.
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
• Eventuallytheneedformoney,hisadvancingage,andthegloomypoliMcaloutlookinNaplesconvincedSirWilliamthatheshouldtrytosellhissecondcollecMonofvases.Thearrangementshadtobehandledcarefully,ashehadconfessedononeoccasionthat"Iamdelicateastothemannerofselling,asIshou'dhatetobelookeduponasadealer.“
• ImustowntoyouthatIthinkthatItalyisingreatdangerofbeingcompletelyplunder'dandruin'dunlesssomeunforeseenaccidentshou'doperateinitsfavour,andthatverysoon...WhatapitythatItalyshou'dberobb'dofitsfinestmarbles,pictures&bronzes,whichyouseebywhathadhappen'datParmawillcertainlybethecaseshou'dtheFrenchmaraudersadvance...ImeantosellmycollecMonofvases,&haveanexcellentprojectforthatpurposeinagoodwayifthecursedFrenchdonotdisturbit.
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
The Portland Vase Project
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
Josiah Wedgewood • IwishyoumaysooncometotowntoseeWilliamHamilton'sVase,itisthefinest
producMonofArtthathasbeenbroughttoEnglandandseemstobetheveryapexofperfecMontowhichyouareendeavoringtobringyourbisque&jasper.
WedgewoodBasReliefof
SirWilliamHamilton
• ThreedayslaterJosiahWedgwoodtookitonloanforayearsothathecouldmodelitforreproducMoninhisjasperware:ithasincorrectlybeeninferredthattheloanwasarewardfornotbiddingagainsttheDuke'sagentattheaucMon
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
Future Employment
AsaclosepersonalfriendofJosiahWedgewoodIhavearrangedforfutureemploymentforallofyouinhisnewpoZeryfactory.YourfirstprojectwillbetoduplicateinBasReliefthefinestpieceofartworktocomeoutofGreeceorRome!IhavesupremeconfidenceinyoubutJosiahwouldliketoseeasmallsampleofyourarMsMcability.Eachgroupistotakeonesheetofcardboard,twodifferentcolorsofclay,yoursculpMngtools,andapictureofthePortlandVasewhichisonloantothiscompany.Remembertheoriginalvaseisapproximately9½inchestalland6½incheswide.
Monuments of Rome in English Culture
Lesson Plan Author: Warren Soper
William Hamilton : Archeologist or Scavenger?
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