The Earl of Elgin* s Pursuits in Greece. 209 



of the best general painters in Europe, of great knowledge 

 in the arts, infinite taste, and most scrupulously exact in 

 copying any subject he is to represent, to undertake the ex- 

 ecution of this plan ; and Mr. Hamilton, who was then ac- 

 companying lord Elgin to Constantinople, immediately 

 went with M. Lusieri to Rome; where, in consequence of 

 the late revolutions in Italy, they were enabled to engage 

 two of the mosteminentybr»«a<ori to make the madreformi 

 for the casts : signior Balestra, the first architect there, 

 along with Ittar, a young man of great talent, to undertake 

 the architectural part of the plan ; and one Theodore, a 

 Calmouk, who had distinguished himself during several 

 years at Rome, in the capacity of figure-painter. 



After much difficulty, lord Elgin obtained permission 

 from the Turkish government to establish these six artists at 

 Athens ; where they prosecuted the business of their several 

 departments during three years, aciingon one general system, 

 with the advantage of mutual control, and under thegeneral 

 puperintendance of M. Lusieri. They at length completed 

 lord Elgin's plan in all its parts. 



Accordingly, every monument, of which there are any 

 remains in Athens, has been thus most carefully and mi- 

 nutely measured; and, from the rough draughts of the ar- 

 chitects, (all of which are preserved,) finished drawings 

 have been made of the plans, elevations, and details of the 

 most remarkable objects ; in which the Calmouk has re- 

 stored and inserted all the sculpture, with exquisite taste 

 and ability. He has besides drawn, with astonishing accu- 

 racy, all the bas-reliefs on the several temples, in the pre- 

 cise stale of decay and mutilation in which they at present 

 exist. 



Most of the ias-reliefs, and nearly all the characteristic 

 features of architecture, in the various monuments at 

 Athens, have been moulded, and the moulds of them have 

 been brought to London, . 



Besides the architecture and sculpture at Athens, all re» 

 mains of them which could be traced through several other 

 parts of Greece, have been measured and delineated, with the 

 most scrupulous exactness, bv the second architect, Ittar. 



And picturesque views of Athens, of Constantinople, of 

 various parts of Greece, and of the Islands of the Archipe- 

 lago, have been executed by donTita Lusieri. 



In the prosecution of this undertaking, the artists ha4 

 the mortification of witnessing the very wilful devastation, 

 to vvhiih all the sculpture, and even the architecture, were 

 ilailv exposed, on the part of the Turks and travellers. The 



Vol. 38. iSo. i6l,5'e/>^ 181L lonifi 



