- Hardcover: 232 pages
- Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st Edition edition (6 May 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0300064594
- ISBN-13: 978-0300064599
- Product Dimensions: 26.6 x 20.1 x 2.4 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,369,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The story of Sir Austen Henry Layard's rediscovery of ancient Assyria and its fabled capital, Nineveh, is one of the great tales of the 19th century. No less remarkable is the story of the collection, dispersal and then re-acquisition in the 20th century of the world's greatest Assyrian collection ever to be in private hands. In this history of the reception of ancient Assyrian art in England and subsequently in America, John Malcolm Russell recounts that story of the huge collection of artefacts that Layard brought back to England. Much went to the British Museum, but much also to the Lady Charlotte Guest and then, via a Manhattan dealer and numerous competitive curators and millionaires, to the Metropolitan Museum. The last of Layard's Assyrian sculptures, discovered by the author in a private British school, was sold for #7.7 million at auction in 1994 - a figure that tripled that highest price ever paid for a work of antiquity. This book is based almost entirely on unpublished archives, including the 10,000-page diary of Lady Charlotte Guest, the cousin of Layard and the richest woman in England. At her country house, Canford Manor, Guest commissioned from Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament, the "Nineveh Porch" to display the sculptures. This established a whole new decorative and architectural fashion for "Assyrian Revival". Russell explores the events that led to the creation of the Porch, casting light on the archaeological, cultural and architectural politics of the day. The dispersal of the collection after World War I and the initial reluctance of any American museum to acquire the sculptures, forms another story - illuminated by the schemes of the dealer Kelekian to sell them to John D. Rockefeller Jr and others. Assyria's admission to the family of world art, and ethical questions surrounding the appropriation of antiquities, form another strand of the tale, culminating in Saddam Hussein's attempted intervention at the Christie's sale in 1994. With previously unpublished photographs, illustrations from 19th century sources and extensive passage from Guest's diary, this book provides a look into the history and meaning of Assyrian art of 19th and 20th century taste, dealing and collecting.
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2.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great story...Dry Telling, 1 Nov 2002
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: From Nineveh to New York: Strange Story of the Assyrian Reliefs in the Metropolitan Museum and the Hidden Masterpiece at Canford School (Hardcover)
John Malcolm Russell has written some fine books on Assyria, one of them "Final Sack of Nineveh" is a superb tome on the history of the excavations and modern destruction of Nineveh. But unfortunately this work was terribly dry, rather boring, and most frustrating in that he spends way to much time going over Lady Charlotte Guest's diary and all the who-what-when and why of the time she lived in and not hardly enough time on Layard and the excavations. And as far as how the Met acquired the reliefs, it basically came down to agreements made with the Rockefeller family. Not very exciting. I suppose i'm more interested in the digs themselves and would have preferred more on them and less on the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The first chapter on the layout of two key palaces was great, but after that it turned into a long, dull read. Great story...just not told so great.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Nineve, Layard, and Assyria, 9 Dec 2010
By AKS "AKS" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: From Nineveh to New York: Strange Story of the Assyrian Reliefs in the Metropolitan Museum and the Hidden Masterpiece at Canford School (Hardcover)
A dissapointing account about Sir Austen Henry Layard's exploits.The author quest for detail makes it cumberson reading and he is far too obsessed with telling about his own small part in recovery of one of the long-lost Bas-Reliefs from Nenievh. There are many other sources including Layard's own works that are far more enjoyable to read.
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