DOI issue:
Nr. 4
DOI article:Dobrowolski, Witold; Smuglewicz, Franciszek [Ill.]; Byres, James [Ill.]: The drawings of Etruscan tombs by Franciszek Smuglewicz and his cooperation with James Byres
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18863#0122
place before the common journey of Byres and Villebrain to Sicily, i.e. before March llth, 176661.
In his letter dated September lst, 1766 and addressed to Sir William Hamilton62, Byres informed
that he had already ordered engraving of the plates, depicting the Corneto antiquities. He
exepected by the time Sir William returns to Rome the coming spring, he would be able to show
him some five or six of the ready plates. Thus we can see that documentation and drawings
were at the time quite advanced.
The summer and the beginning of the 1767 autumn Byres spent in England63, where he vi-
sited his relatives searching at the same time subscribers who would supply him with neeessary
means to finance the expensive enterprise. For this purpose he published in London in 1767
Proposals for the Publication by Subscribtion of the Elruscan Antiąuities of Corneto(si.
It is elear, however, that the subject was not luckily chosen and that Byres was going to have
difficulties with gathering the neeessary number of subscribers. A significant evidence can
be found in the letter of abbot Peter Grant, who was in fact favorable to Byres05, addressed
to James Adam and written on July 1.5th, 17 6 7 66.
Grant writes as follows: "...I suppose, you have seen Mr. Byres, at least you have heard
of the scheme he is gone to England upon, I see it already advertised in your papers. What
do you reely think of it? Will it take or not? He is a worthy and good young fellow, and merits
encouragement, altho I am affraid what he has embarked in, is not sufficiently interesting
to the publick...". Grant's fears were justified and the realization of the whole enterprise lasted
so long that it arose great discontentment among the disappointed subscribers.07
Despite considerable advance of the works, especially on the illustrations, the album was-
published neither during Byres's stay in Korne nor even during his lifetime. As for the text
there are no proofs that Byres ever wrote it. It was only some years ago that the existence
of the notes taken by him when gathering the materials for the album were discovered68. Also
remains unclear the history of the plates prepared by Norton. In his famous work The Cities
and the Cemeteries of Etruria published in London in 1848 G. Dennis infoims that the prepared
copperplate engravings disappeared somewhere in Italy and were discovered some sixty or
seyenty years later in London69. G. Weege the author of the first ccmprehensive monograph
of Etruscan painting, in fact based mainly on the illustration of Hypogaei, added that fifty
seven of the engraved plates were preserved in Livorno for a long time70.
An important information is also contained in the letter to Lady Powis written by Byres
on August 30th, 180571. He briefly recalls his j>revious plans of publishing the album of Etruscan
61. On March llth, 1766 Byres and his friend Wilbraham (Yillebrain- Winckrlmann) left Renie for Sicily. Byres kept diary
of the journey (now preservcd in the National Library of Scotland, Acc. 4448, MS 10339). I would like to exprcss my grati-
tude to Mr. J. S. Ritchie, Keeper of the Manuscript Department of the National Library of Scotland, and to Mr. łan G.
Brown for their help in examinig the manuscript of Byres's diary and their statement that it does not contain any in-
formation concerning the Corneto excavations.
62. Preserved in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. I would like to express my gratitude to the Museum for sending me
a photocopy of Byres's letter to Sir William Hamilton.
63. B. Ford, "James Byres", op. cit., p. 453.
64. James Byres, "Proposals for the publication by subscription of the Etruscan Antiquities of Corneto, the ancient Tarquinii"T
Gent. Mag., XLIX, 1767, p. 288.
65. B. Ford, "James Byres", op. cif., p. 452. It was abbot Grant who accompanied Byres on his journey to Scotland, the third
one Byres undertook sińce his ariival in Rome. He spent there the summer of 1783.
66. London Guildhall MSS 3790/1. I am grateful to Mr. CR.II. Cooper, Keeper of the Manuscript Department, for exam-
ining the letter and sending me the copy of the fragment concerning Byres.
67. Ceni. Mag., XLII, p. 201, 317; LXVI, p. 222.
68. B. Ford, op. ci(.,p. 453.
69. G. Dennis, The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, London, 1848, cd. 1907, p. 350, footnote 2.
70. Weege, op. cit., p. 84 ff.
71. I used the photocopy of Byres's letter to Lady Povis (now in the National Library of Scotland). I would like to expres&
my gratitude to Mr. James Ritchie, Keeper of the Manuscript Department, for sending me the photocopy of the letter
as well as of the inventory of Byres's house in Rome.
112
In his letter dated September lst, 1766 and addressed to Sir William Hamilton62, Byres informed
that he had already ordered engraving of the plates, depicting the Corneto antiquities. He
exepected by the time Sir William returns to Rome the coming spring, he would be able to show
him some five or six of the ready plates. Thus we can see that documentation and drawings
were at the time quite advanced.
The summer and the beginning of the 1767 autumn Byres spent in England63, where he vi-
sited his relatives searching at the same time subscribers who would supply him with neeessary
means to finance the expensive enterprise. For this purpose he published in London in 1767
Proposals for the Publication by Subscribtion of the Elruscan Antiąuities of Corneto(si.
It is elear, however, that the subject was not luckily chosen and that Byres was going to have
difficulties with gathering the neeessary number of subscribers. A significant evidence can
be found in the letter of abbot Peter Grant, who was in fact favorable to Byres05, addressed
to James Adam and written on July 1.5th, 17 6 7 66.
Grant writes as follows: "...I suppose, you have seen Mr. Byres, at least you have heard
of the scheme he is gone to England upon, I see it already advertised in your papers. What
do you reely think of it? Will it take or not? He is a worthy and good young fellow, and merits
encouragement, altho I am affraid what he has embarked in, is not sufficiently interesting
to the publick...". Grant's fears were justified and the realization of the whole enterprise lasted
so long that it arose great discontentment among the disappointed subscribers.07
Despite considerable advance of the works, especially on the illustrations, the album was-
published neither during Byres's stay in Korne nor even during his lifetime. As for the text
there are no proofs that Byres ever wrote it. It was only some years ago that the existence
of the notes taken by him when gathering the materials for the album were discovered68. Also
remains unclear the history of the plates prepared by Norton. In his famous work The Cities
and the Cemeteries of Etruria published in London in 1848 G. Dennis infoims that the prepared
copperplate engravings disappeared somewhere in Italy and were discovered some sixty or
seyenty years later in London69. G. Weege the author of the first ccmprehensive monograph
of Etruscan painting, in fact based mainly on the illustration of Hypogaei, added that fifty
seven of the engraved plates were preserved in Livorno for a long time70.
An important information is also contained in the letter to Lady Powis written by Byres
on August 30th, 180571. He briefly recalls his j>revious plans of publishing the album of Etruscan
61. On March llth, 1766 Byres and his friend Wilbraham (Yillebrain- Winckrlmann) left Renie for Sicily. Byres kept diary
of the journey (now preservcd in the National Library of Scotland, Acc. 4448, MS 10339). I would like to exprcss my grati-
tude to Mr. J. S. Ritchie, Keeper of the Manuscript Department of the National Library of Scotland, and to Mr. łan G.
Brown for their help in examinig the manuscript of Byres's diary and their statement that it does not contain any in-
formation concerning the Corneto excavations.
62. Preserved in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. I would like to express my gratitude to the Museum for sending me
a photocopy of Byres's letter to Sir William Hamilton.
63. B. Ford, "James Byres", op. cit., p. 453.
64. James Byres, "Proposals for the publication by subscription of the Etruscan Antiquities of Corneto, the ancient Tarquinii"T
Gent. Mag., XLIX, 1767, p. 288.
65. B. Ford, "James Byres", op. cif., p. 452. It was abbot Grant who accompanied Byres on his journey to Scotland, the third
one Byres undertook sińce his ariival in Rome. He spent there the summer of 1783.
66. London Guildhall MSS 3790/1. I am grateful to Mr. CR.II. Cooper, Keeper of the Manuscript Department, for exam-
ining the letter and sending me the copy of the fragment concerning Byres.
67. Ceni. Mag., XLII, p. 201, 317; LXVI, p. 222.
68. B. Ford, op. ci(.,p. 453.
69. G. Dennis, The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, London, 1848, cd. 1907, p. 350, footnote 2.
70. Weege, op. cit., p. 84 ff.
71. I used the photocopy of Byres's letter to Lady Povis (now in the National Library of Scotland). I would like to expres&
my gratitude to Mr. James Ritchie, Keeper of the Manuscript Department, for sending me the photocopy of the letter
as well as of the inventory of Byres's house in Rome.
112