The Elgin Marbles Inventory Number
As such they represent more than half of what now.
The elgin marbles inventory number. With this in mind in 1800 elgin dispatched a number of renowned artists to make sketches paintings and molds of ancient monuments in athens. The parthenon marbles acquired by elgin include some 21 figures from the statuary from the east and west pediments 15 of an original 92 metope panels depicting battles between the lapiths and the centaurs as well as 75 metres of the parthenon frieze which decorated the horizontal course set above the interior architrave of the temple. During 18 th and 19 th centuries educated and wealthy westerners held the firm belief that ancient greek art and architecture was the highest expression of civilization. In 1810 elgin published a defense of his actions that silenced most of his detractors.
The final shipment of the elgin marbles reached london in 1812 and in 1816 the entire collection was acquired from elgin by the crown for the sum of 35 000 about half of elgin s costs. In practice the term is commonly used to refer to the stone objects he gathered an official greek website prefers looted from. The elgin marbles a collection of stone sculptures and inscriptions more properly known as the parthenon sculptures was acquired by lord elgin in athens greece between 1801 and 1805 and today lives in london s british museum. At its broadest the term elgin marbles refers to a collection of stone sculptures and architectural pieces which thomas bruce seventh lord elgin gathered during his service as ambassador to the court of the ottoman sultan in istanbul.
The elgin marbles.