1 of 4

Sir William Hamilton
XIV. Etruscan Urn
1766-67

Name: XIV. Etruscan Urn
Brand: Sir William Hamilton
Rating: 5 (11 reviews)

$1,650List Price

About the Item

...Etruscan, Greek and Roman Antiquities.... Hamilton, Sir William. 1730 – 1803. Collection of Etruscan Greek and Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Hon. W. Hamilton. 4 vols. Naples, 1766-7. D’Hancarvills, sculpt. Aquatint Engravings in Black and Terra Cotta Inks. Finishing in Original Hand-Color. In 1764, Sir William Hamilton arrived in Naples to take up his new appointment as British Envoy Extraordinary to the Bourbon Court of King Ferdinand IV. At the time of his arrival, Italy was still a largely untapped field of archaeological discovery and there was ample opportunity for the private individual to amass a collection or 'cabinet' of classical antiquities at relatively little expense. The sites of the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, although now under Royal control, were still being only haphazardly excavated and were openly vandalized. Hamilton himself complained of the fact, but also seems to have taken advantage of it. Hamilton's first collection was in fact acquired by the British Museum in 1772 where it formed the foundation of the now great collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. This was the first major collection of Greek vases (or, as they were then known, Etruscan) to reach England's shores. "To Hamilton belongs the merit of being the first to appreciate with warmth the severe beauty of their shapes, colouring and drawing, the mingled simplicity and feeling of the designs figured upon them; and it was he who recognized the value of these unpretentious vessels for forming and ennobling modern art-taste". (Adolph Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Cambridge 1882, p. 110) Hamilton found a worthy ally in Josiah Wedgwood who was setting up a new factory appropriately called "Etruria". Opened in June of 1769, Wedgwood was to use Hamilton's models again and again in his pottery with many designs taken directly from the engravings. Etruscan antiquities continued to be used as source-books for artists throughout the rest of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This is evidenced in furniture in the style of Thomas Hope's Regency Greek revival period as well as the high Victorian Greek revival of Frederic Lord Leighton who drew upon the engravings for props in a number of his classical paintings. Hamilton died in 1803, the tranquillity of his life shattered by a hasty retreat from Italy under the threat of Napoleon's invasion, and the devastating public scandal of his wife Emma's open flaunting of her relationship with Lord Nelson. However, an enduring epitaph of Hamilton's grace and intelligence, is Joshua Reynold's studio portrait of 1777, now in the National Portrait Gallery. It shows Hamilton seated on a terrace with a view of Vesuvius in the background, while at his feet, and on the table beside him, are placed an assortment of vases. Open on his lap, the Envoy Extraordinary holds a volume of his Etruscan antiquities.

Creator:
Sir William Hamilton (1751 - 1801, English)
Creation Year:
1766-67
Dimensions:
Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
Medium:
Engraving
Movement & Style:
Academic
Period:
18th Century and Earlier
Condition:
Framed to museum specifications using archival matting, hinging, backing. Glazed with ultra-violet filtering Plexglas.
Gallery Location:
Florham Park, NJ
Reference Number:
Seller: 2015 03-11-151stDibs: LU652289182

Philip De La MotteA Set of Two Hand-Colored Engravings of an Ancient Roman Vase and a Tazza (Cup), 1851

$975

H 24.5 in W 20.38 in D 1.13 in

A Set of Two Hand-Colored Engravings of an Ancient Roman Vase and a Tazza (Cup)

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a pair of framed hand-colored engravings of an ancient vase in the Palizzy Wares style and a silver gilt tazza (cup) with a cover, both from the 16th century. These were engraved under the supervision of Philip De La Motte...

Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Still-life Prints

Materials

Engraving

19th Century Print on Paper Antique Greek Vase

$752Sale Price|20% Off

H 21.66 in W 18.12 in D 1.19 in

19th Century Print on Paper Antique Greek Vase

Located in Brescia, IT

Antique Greek vase print on paper 19th Century France This is a beautiful baroque print of an antique Greek vase. Contemporary wooden black ...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Baroque Prints

Materials

Paper

Italian 19th Century Marble Urn

$74,500

H 66.25 in W 42 in D 42 in

Italian 19th Century Marble Urn

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

A handsome and large scale handsome Italian 19th century marble urn. The impressive urn is raised by a square stepped base below the elegant ...

Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Urns

Materials

Marble

Regency Tole Chestnut Urn

$1,525

H 12 in W 6.5 in D 4.75 in

Regency Tole Chestnut Urn

Located in Pasadena, CA

This is a very good example of an early 19th c. Regency Tole Chestnut Urn . The black urn is finely decorated in Chinese motifs with lion head and ring si...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Urns

Materials

Brass, Tin

Vintage Italian Monumental Giovanni Batista Parinesi Urn Print

$2,950

H 41.5 in W 31.5 in D 2 in

Vintage Italian Monumental Giovanni Batista Parinesi Urn Print

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

This monumental framed print, after the masterful Giovanni Battista Piranesi, captures the dramatic essence of the Roman Grand Tour. The composition features a grand classical urn de...

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Prints

Materials

Glass, Wood, Paper

Ancient Etruscan Statue - Etching - 18th century, 18th century

$526Sale Price|30% Off

H 19.3 in W 13.39 in D 0.04 in

Ancient Etruscan Statue - Etching - 18th century

Located in Roma, IT

Ancient Etruscan Statue, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized in the 18th century. Signed on the pla...

Category

18th Century Contemporary Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Three 19th C. Engravings of Classical Italian Bronze Architectural Elements, 1889

$975

H 14.75 in W 12.5 in D 2 in

Three 19th C. Engravings of Classical Italian Bronze Architectural Elements

Located in Alamo, CA

A grouping of three engravings depicting classical Italian architectural features held in the National Museum of Naples, entitled "Bronze Hydria", "Marbre Naissance de Bacchus" and "...

Category

1880s Other Art Style Still-life Prints

Materials

Engraving

1880s Urn Watercolor by Jansen

$450

H 15.5 in W 12.75 in D 1 in

1880s Urn Watercolor by Jansen

Located in Tarrytown, NY

Watercolor of an urn, done in Paris by Jansen in the 1880s.

Category

Antique 1880s Paintings

Materials

Paint

Framed Engraving By Sir William Hamilton

$1,600

H 26.25 in W 31 in D 1.5 in

Framed Engraving By Sir William Hamilton

Located in Essex, MA

Print size: 15 inches by 10 inches. Lord Hamiltons Ancient Vases. Number 94. Johann Tischbein, Naples , Italy. The scene depicts a scene from Greek Mythology, specifically one of the...

Category

Antique Late 18th Century Grand Tour Prints

Materials

Giltwood, Paper

Various ArtistsVase of Tombs - Lithograph - 1862, 1862

$211

H 7.49 in W 11.42 in D 0.04 in

Vase of Tombs - Lithograph - 1862

Located in Roma, IT

Vase of Tombs is a lithograph on paper realized in 1862. The artwork belongs to the Suite Uses and customs of all the peoples of the universe: " History of the government, of the la...

Category