Mistress of the Elgin Marbles - Essay Example

Elgin's Marbles 2006 The Elgin Marbles are sections of a frieze purchased by the 7th Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce, from the Ottoman Empire; near its ultimate collapse. These marbles once surrounded the statue of Athena at the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Lord Elgin purchased the artefacts between 1801 and 1812 with the permission of the Acropolis. He then received the shipping rights and moved the artefacts the London, England. (Property Law 1). In my own opinion the true place for these artefacts remains with the owner, not the sculptor nor the national origin of the sculptor; precisely the Elgin Marbles are in their rightful place, Britain. Picture 1.0 A Section of the Elgin Marbles The Parthenon was built between 447 and 432BC, it is believed as a celebration of the agreement of Zeus for women to be born. There was once a statue of Athena surrounded by a frieze showing the gods in debate, although no one is really sure exactly what they were debating about. The Greeks believe the return of the missing sections will bring a better understanding of the whole piece (British Museum, Parthenon 1). Picture 2.0 A section of the Frieze showing the gods seated in debate Lord Elgin had risen through the ranks and asked for the post as Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople. He met and married a Scottish heiress, Mary Nisbet of Earlton. Lord Elgin felt that he knew the best place to achieve architectural significance and wanted to bring some of the passion and style back to the British artists and architects, in order to uplift and inspire them. Lady Elgin and her wealth allowed him to achieve his desire. Greek architecture at that time was considered the ultimate experience and being of great significance and Lord Elgin ensured he was part of the society. He employed artists and architects to paint, sketch and make moulds of what he considered to be the best artwork in Athens, Greece. He believed that the artistic work held the highest significance and expression of civilisation and that this cultural experience would encourage the British artists of the day (Athens guide 1). Picture 3.0 A Section of the Elgin Marbles Lord Elgin purchased sections of the marbled frieze from the Ottoman Empire for a price of 75,000. He then had the difficult task of getting a ship to transport them to England. This was during the Napoleonic wars and their friend Nelson was reluctant to provide a vessel for the shipment. Mary used her guile and persuasion to eventually gain a passage for the artefacts (Nagel, from front matter). Lord Elgin considered his purchases to be a great achievement for the British Empire. A Government Select Committee agreed to purchase the marbles from Lord Elgin for 36,000 in 1816, a massive financial loss for Lord Elgin (British Museum, newsroom, 1). They were then placed and still remain in the British Museum and given the collectors name of Elgin's Marbles (British Museum, Collection 2). Picture 4.0 A Section of the Elgin Marbles The British Museum initially placed the artefacts in a prefabricated gallery which had been designed by Robert Smirke (British Museum, Collection 2). Then they were transferred to another section aptly named the 'Elgin Room' in 1832 (British Museum, Collection 2) until Lord Duveen donated money to the museum to construct a purpose built gallery for the marbles. (British Museum, Collection 2). Picture 5.0 A Section of the Elgin Marbles Preparations were carried out to clean the sculptures ready for display in their new Duveen rooms. Wire wool was used to clean off the surfaces of all of the marbles in 1939. This cleaning method also included the use of copper chisels and carborundum (British museum collection, 3). It was believed that the original color of the marble was pure white and the intensions were genuinely administered in order to return the pieces back to their original state. This cleaning method removed the entire original surface of the marbles. It is only a little respite to this damage that the exposure to the elements for the remaining sections in Greece has also destroyed much of the surfacing along with a considerable part of the structure itself (British Museum, Collection 3). It is argued that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire may have destroyed the marbles (Property Law 2). Picture 6.0 A Centaur and Slave Section of the Elgin Marbles The marbles have been exposed to further damage over the years which includes the centaur's hind leg being knocked off by children, numerous scratches and breaks with no knowledge of how they occurred, some of which have been repaired and some have just been left (British Museum, collection 3). Picture 7.0 A Section of the Elgin Marbles Showing Damage The Greeks are making a large assertion with many supporters for the return of the marbles to the Parthenon remains in Athens. It is argued, however that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1828 saw no challenge for the artefacts when the Greeks returned to full control. 155 years went by without any request for their return. The Greek's believe that their return is an essential link to their heritage and they are building a new museum to house Acropolis remains. Various museums throughout Europe house sections of the frieze, however London and Athens hold the largest number and size of items. (British Museum, Parthenon 2). Greece and supporters of the marbles return wanted the Games in 2004 to mark the reuniting of the artefacts; however the British Museum is unlikely to ever release them. Greece does not accept the Museum's claim, but they are no longer asking for a gesture of their return they now wish the Museum to consider a loan, however the trustees and Director of the Museum are in no position to sanction a loan, so they will remain in their protected state on display for the world to see (Times 2-3). Picture 8.0 The current location of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum Works Cited British Museum, The. Collection, Parthenon, The British Museum's Collection. Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Found at http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/debate.html. Accessed on March 15th, 2006. British Museum, The. Newsroom. Why are the Parthenon Sculpture always on the news. Found at http://thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/newsroom/current2003/parsculpt.htm. Accessed on March 15th, 2006. British Museum, The. Parthenon, The Parthenon and its Sculptures. January 2004. Found at http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/grparth.html. Accessed on March 15th, 2006. Nagel, Susan. Mistress of the Elgin Marbles: A Biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin. Published August 2004 by Harper. Property Law. Culteral Property: The Elgin Marbles. The Economic of Property Law found at http://cooter-ulen.com/property.htm. Accessed on March 15th, 2006. Times, The. The Elgin Marbles are Staying put in London. Robert Anderson, Director of the British Museum, report found at http://www.info-world.com/elgin.marbles/times/. Accessed on March 15th, 2006. Read More