The Goddess Of Love

Author’s Note

Author’s NoteThomas, seventh Earl of Elgin and eleventh Earl of Kincardine, a soldier and a diplomatist, (1766 –1841) is famous for his acquisition of the Greek sculptures now known as the ‘Elgin Marbles’.

Keenly interested in classical art, between 1803 and 1812 his great collection of sculptures, taken chiefly from the Parthenon at Athens, was brought to England and became the subject of violent controversy.

When he was our Envoy to the Turkish Government, 1799-1803, he had bought the ‘Marbles’ from the Turks, who at that time were still the rulers of Greece, to save them from what seemed almost certain destruction.

However the Earl was denounced as a dishonest and rapacious vandal, notably by Lord Byron, while the quality of his acquisitions, later regarded as exceptional, was questioned.

In 1810 he published a memorandum defending his actions and judgement. On the recommendation of a Parliamentary Committee, which also vindicated Elgin’s conduct, the ‘Marbles’ were bought by the nation in 1816 for thirty-five thousand pounds, considerably below their cost to the Earl of Elgin and deposited in the British Museum, where they remain on view.