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?