Elgin begins removal of the Parthenon Marbles (1801–1802)

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, oversaw the removal of sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens between 1801 and 1812. Although his initial intent was documentation, he began removing material in 1801 under the supervision of Lusieri. The legacy date of 5 January 1802 is a placeholder; actual removal began in 1801, with ratification documents issued in 1802.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat known for procuring marble sculptures from the Acropolis. His agents were initially dispatched to Athens in 1800 for drawing purposes. However, Elgin began removing material from the Parthenon in 1801, shifting from documentation to extraction, which led to the controversial acquisition of the Elgin Marbles.

Removal Process. Elgin's agents removed about half the surviving Parthenon sculptures between 1801 and 1812. The process involved taking pieces of stone with inscriptions or figures, as authorized by a firman obtained in July 1801. Lusieri supervised the work, including finding fragments in local structures, such as a Turkish house in 1801.

Official Authorization. Elgin claimed his actions were authorized by an Ottoman firman from July 1801. While no official record of this firman exists in Turkish archives, Ottoman officials in Constantinople issued documents in 1802 ratifying the conduct of the civil governor and military commander of Athens, supporting the removal efforts.

People involved

Sources

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