Collection

4 vols. 1. Autograph Letter Signed ("Elgin"), 2 1/4 pp recto and verso, 8vo (conjoined leaves), Broom Hall [Dunfermline], January 17, 1831, to the antiquary James Skene, about pictures he was lending for an exhibition. 2. Report from the select committee of the House of Commons on the earl of Elgin's collection of sculptured marbles. House of Commons, 1816. Folio. 77 pp. Modern wrappers; cloth chemise. Detailing the conditions of purchase of the Elgin Marbles by the British Museum. BLACKMER COPY Catalogue #740. and lot 569 in the Blackmer Sale. The expert witnesses called to the committee, which decided upon the acquisition of the marbles, included Elgin himself, William Hamilton, John Flaxman, Richard Westmacott, Richard Payne Knight, William Wilkins nd J.B.S. Morritt 3. HAWKINS & BIRCH. Description of the Collection of Ancient Marbles in the British Museum. Part VII. Sold at the British Museum, 1835. 4to. Engraved title & 19 plates. Original boards, spine and cover labels. 4. HAYDON. The Judgment of Connoisseurs upon Works of Art compared with that of Professional Men; in reference more particularly to the Elgin Marbles. Carpenter & Son, 1816. 8vo. 19 pp. Disbound. Four items relating to the career of Lord Elgin. Elgin was as controversial in his own lifetime as he is today, but whatever view is taken of him personally it must be admitted that he was a true lover of art and beauty. When he was arrested in France on his return from Constantinople he was held captive for three years, refusing Napoleon's offer of freedom if he would sell his antiquities to the Louvre. Although the British Museum finally bought the Elgin Marbles in 1816, the sum paid was actually less than his expenses in procuring them and he died deeply in debt. …