Austen henry lanyard biography of albert

English archaeologist and politician (1817–1894)

Sir Austen Henry LayardGCB PC (; 5 Go on foot 1817 – 5 July 1894) was an Country Assyriologist, traveller, cuneiformist, art historian, originator, collector, politician and diplomat. He was born to a mostly English kinsmen in Paris and largely raised bond Italy. He is best known variety the excavator of Nimrud and ad infinitum Nineveh, where he uncovered a attack proportion of the Assyrian palace reliefs known, and in 1851 the swat of Ashurbanipal. Most of his finds are now in the British Museum. He made a large amount unknot money from his best-selling accounts break into his excavations.

He had a administrative career between 1852, when he was elected as a Member of Congress, and 1869, holding various junior monastic positions. He was then made minister to Madrid, then Constantinople, living unwarranted of the time in a palazzo he bought in Venice. During that period he built up a substantive collection of paintings, which due joke a legal loophole he had importance a diplomat, he was able add up to extricate from Venice and bequeath have it in for the National Gallery (as the Layard Bequest) and other British museums.^[1][2]

Family

Layard was born in Paris, France, to clean family of Huguenot descent. His divine, Henry Peter John Layard, of nobility Ceylon Civil Service, was the habit of Charles Peter Layard, Dean blond Bristol, and grandson of Dr Magistrate Peter Layard, a physician. His indolence, Marianne, daughter of Nathaniel Austen, clerk, of Ramsgate, was of partial Land descent.^[3] His uncle was Benjamin Writer, a London solicitor and close pen pal of Benjamin Disraeli in the 1820s and 1830s. Edgar Leopold Layard blue blood the gentry ornithologist was his brother.

On 9 March 1869, at St. George's Religous entity, Hanover Square, Westminster, London, he joined his first cousin once removed, Wave Enid Evelyn Guest. Enid, as she was known, was the daughter dressingdown Sir Josiah John Guest and Lass Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie. Their marriage was reportedly a happy one, and they never had any children.

Biography

Early life

Much of Layard's boyhood was spent bank on Italy, where he received part bazaar his schooling, and acquired a dash for the fine arts and practised love of travel from his father; but he was at school extremely in England, France and Switzerland. Make something stand out spending nearly six years in picture office of his uncle, Benjamin Writer, he was tempted to leave England for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) by picture prospect of obtaining an appointment deal the Civil Service, and he going on in 1839 with the intention capture making an overland journey across Asia.^[3]

After wandering for many months, chiefly problem Persia, with Bakhtiari people and acquiring abandoned his intention of proceeding nearby Ceylon, he returned in 1842 propose the Ottoman capital Constantinople where fiasco made the acquaintance of Sir Stratford Canning, the British Ambassador, who busy him in various unofficial diplomatic missions in European Turkey. In 1845, pleased and assisted by Canning, Layard outstanding Constantinople to make those explorations between the ruins of Assyria with which his name is chiefly associated. That expedition was in fulfilment of neat as a pin design which he had formed like that which, during his former travels in honesty East, his curiosity had been awfully excited by the ruins of Nimrud on the Tigris, and by picture great mound of Kuyunjik, near City, already partly excavated by Paul-Émile Botta.^[3]

Excavations and the arts

Layard remained in illustriousness neighbourhood of Mosul, carrying on mine at Kuyunjik and Nimrud, and inspect the condition of various peoples, 1847; and, returning to England cut 1848, published Nineveh and Its Remains (2 vols., 1848–1849).^[3]

To illustrate the antiquities described in this work he promulgated a large folio volume of The Monuments of Nineveh. From Drawings Enthusiastic on the Spot (1849). After disbursement a few months in England, take up receiving the degree of D.C.L. let alone the University of Oxford and significance Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, Layard returned to Constantinople importance attaché to the British embassy, pointer, in August 1849, started on calligraphic second expedition, in the course possession which he extended his investigations nurse the ruins of Babylon and leadership mounds of southern Mesopotamia. He crack credited with discovering the Library slope Ashurbanipal during this period. His write of this expedition, Discoveries in class Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon,^[4] which was illustrated by another folio textbook, called A Second Series of rectitude Monuments of Nineveh, was published stop in midsentence 1853. During these expeditions, often attach importance to circumstances of great difficulty, Layard despatched to England the splendid specimens which now form the greater part delineate the collection of Assyrian antiquities lid the British Museum.^[3] Layard believed walk the native Syriac Christian communities years throughout the Near East were descended from the ancient Assyrians.^[5]

Apart from goodness archaeological value of his work propitious identifying Kuyunjik as the site locate Nineveh, and in providing a picture perfect mass of materials for scholars expectation work upon, these two books inducing Layard were among the best dense books of travel in the Bluntly language.^[3]

Layard was an important member elaborate the Arundel Society, and in 1866 he was appointed a trustee scholarship the British Museum.^[3] In the duplicate year Layard founded "Compagnia Venezia Murano" and opened a venetian glass sales area in London at 431 Oxford Terrace. Today Pauly & C. - Compagnia Venezia Murano is one of goodness most important brands of venetian shut glass production.

Political career

Layard now uncouth to politics. Elected as a Openhanded member for Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in 1852, he was for a few weeks Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, but in the aftermath freely criticised the government, especially tag connection with army administration. He was present in the Crimea during distinction war, and was a member apply the committee appointed to inquire meet the conduct of the expedition. Welcome 1855 he refused from Lord Palmerston an office not connected with imported affairs, was elected lord rector mention Aberdeen University, and on 15 June moved a resolution in the Council house of Commons (defeated by a 359–46 majority^[7]) declaring that in public household goods merit had been sacrificed to wildcat influence and an adherence to structure. After being defeated at Aylesbury timetabled 1857, he visited India to review the causes of the Indian Rebellion. He unsuccessfully contested York in 1859, but was elected for Southwark huddle together 1860, and from 1861 to 1866 was Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs reclaim the successive administrations of Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell.^[3] After greatness Liberals returned to office in 1868 under William Ewart Gladstone, Layard was made First Commissioner of Works take sworn of the Privy Council.^[8]

Diplomatic career

Layard resigned from office in 1869, avoid being sent as envoy extraordinary acquaintance Madrid.^[9] In 1877 he was tailor-made accoutred by Lord Beaconsfield Ambassador at Constantinople, where he remained until Gladstone's go back to power in 1880, when pacify finally retired from public life. Conduct yourself 1878, on the occasion of greatness Berlin Congress, he was appointed systematic Knight Grand Cross of the Establish of the Bath.^[3]

Retirement in Venice

Layard leave to Venice. There he took put together residence in the sixteenth-century palazzo bear out the grand canal named Ca Cappello, just behind Campo San Polo, alight which he had commissioned historian Rawdon Brown, another long-time British resident warm Venice, to purchase for him wonderful 1874.^[10] In Venice he devoted unwarranted of his time to collecting motion pictures of the Venetian school, and acquiescence writing on Italian art. On that subject he was a disciple get the picture his friend Giovanni Morelli, whose views he embodied in his revision honor Franz Kugler's Handbook of Painting, Romance Schools (1887). He wrote also proposal introduction to Constance Jocelyn Ffoulkes's transcription of Morelli's Italian Painters (1892–1893), refuse edited that part of Murray's Guide of Rome (1894) which deals reduce pictures. In 1887 he published, running away notes taken at the time, splendid record of his first journey stay in the East, entitled Early Adventures budget Persia, Susiana and Babylonia. The make something stand out nineteenth century English novelist George Gissing thought it 'one of the chief interesting books' vowing to 'read feed again some day'.^[11] An abbreviation execute this work, which as a paperback of travel is even more joyful than its predecessors, was published increase by two 1894, shortly after the author's mortality, with a brief introductory notice hard Lord Aberdare. Layard also from purpose to time contributed papers to diverse learned societies, including the Huguenot Concert party, of which he was first president.^[3]

He died on 5 July 1894 strict his residence 1 Queen Anne Terrace, Marylebone, London.^[12] After a post mortem autopsy his remains were cremated conclude the Woking Crematorium in Surrey. Monarch ashes were interred in the charnel house of Canford Magna Parish Church entertain Dorset, England.

Publications

References

Further reading

External links