DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.803#0007
2 THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
Majesty's painter, Giovanni Battista Lusieri, then at
Taormina, who went with Mr. Hamilton* to Rome;
and, upon a plan arranged by Sir William Hamilton,
engaged five other artists, the best assistants Rome
could afford, who accompanied him to Turkey. These
five persons were, two architects, Signor Balestra, and
a young man of the name of Ittar; two modellers; and
a draughtsman, Theodore, a Calmuc, of great talent
in drawing antique figures. They reached Constan-
tinople about the middle of May, 1800, when the
French were in full possession of Egypt. They were
sent, however, as soon as opportunity offered, to
Athens, where Lusieri afterwards joined them, and
where, from August 1800, to the month of April
1801, they were principally employed in making
drawings, at a very considerable expense on the part
of Lord Elgin.
In proportion to the change of affairs in the English
relations towards Turkey, the facilities of access were
increased, and about the middle of the summer of
1801 all difficulties were overcome. Lord Elgin then
received very strongly expressed firmauns from the
Porte, which were carried by the Rev. Dr. Hunt, the
chaplain of the Embassy, to the Vaivode of Athens
and the Disdar of the Acropolis, and which allowed
his Lordship's agents not only to " fix scaffolding-
round the antient Temple of the Idols," as the Par-
thenon was called, " and to mould the ornamental
sculpture and visible figures thereon in plaster and
gypsum," but " to take away any pieces of stone with
old inscriptions or figures thereon;" a specific per-
mission being added, to excavate in a particular place.
Lord Elgin subsequently visited Athens himself with
additional firmauns, and having received while at
Constantinople very urgent representations from
* William Richard Hamilton, Esq., afterwards British minister
at Naples,
Majesty's painter, Giovanni Battista Lusieri, then at
Taormina, who went with Mr. Hamilton* to Rome;
and, upon a plan arranged by Sir William Hamilton,
engaged five other artists, the best assistants Rome
could afford, who accompanied him to Turkey. These
five persons were, two architects, Signor Balestra, and
a young man of the name of Ittar; two modellers; and
a draughtsman, Theodore, a Calmuc, of great talent
in drawing antique figures. They reached Constan-
tinople about the middle of May, 1800, when the
French were in full possession of Egypt. They were
sent, however, as soon as opportunity offered, to
Athens, where Lusieri afterwards joined them, and
where, from August 1800, to the month of April
1801, they were principally employed in making
drawings, at a very considerable expense on the part
of Lord Elgin.
In proportion to the change of affairs in the English
relations towards Turkey, the facilities of access were
increased, and about the middle of the summer of
1801 all difficulties were overcome. Lord Elgin then
received very strongly expressed firmauns from the
Porte, which were carried by the Rev. Dr. Hunt, the
chaplain of the Embassy, to the Vaivode of Athens
and the Disdar of the Acropolis, and which allowed
his Lordship's agents not only to " fix scaffolding-
round the antient Temple of the Idols," as the Par-
thenon was called, " and to mould the ornamental
sculpture and visible figures thereon in plaster and
gypsum," but " to take away any pieces of stone with
old inscriptions or figures thereon;" a specific per-
mission being added, to excavate in a particular place.
Lord Elgin subsequently visited Athens himself with
additional firmauns, and having received while at
Constantinople very urgent representations from
* William Richard Hamilton, Esq., afterwards British minister
at Naples,