Appendix 11 - Press cuttings
DAILY TELEGRAPH
March 19th 1939
Elgin Marbles -
I learn that Mr. F. N. Pryce, Keeper of Greek and Roman
Antiquities at the British Museum, has resigned his post.
Prof. Bernard Ashmole is to succeed him. Until recently he was
Yates Professor of Archaeology at London University. He has been
for some weeks in provisional charge of the department.
Mr. Pryce's resignation was followed by that of his assistant,
Mr. Roger Hinks. Mr. Hinks, who shines socially not less than in
scholarship, has received an appointment at the Warburg Institute
library of rare historical books and manuscripts in South
Kensington.
It is officially stated that the reported disagreement at the
Museum over the cleaning of the Elgin Marbles is not connected with
these resignations.
- And "Museum Discipline"
The marbles were under Mr. Pryce's care, and I understand that
his treatment of them raised in the mind of Sir John Forsdyke, the
Director, a question of "Museum discipline." Mr. Pryce's
resignation is said to be on the ground of his health, which has
not been good for some time.
Sir John Forsdyke and Prof. Ashmole are Buckinghamshire
neighbours. Sir John* has a farm near Chesham, and Prof. Ashmole
lives in a house he built at Amersham.
Its modern architecture at first greatly startled the
inhabitants of that town.
*note in pencil "Quite untrue, but an old and persistent error
of one of the editorial staff of the D.T. J.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
MARCH 21ST 1939
Elgin Marbles Too Clean?
Archaeologists, I hear, are anxious about the state of the Elgin
marbles in the British Museum. Ten days ago I mentioned that Mr. F.
N. Pryce and Mr. Roger Hinks, the Keeper and Assistant Keeper of
Greek and Roman Antiquities, had resigned.
It is being said by those qualified to express an opinion that
as the result of their recent cleaning the metopes and frieze have
lost the warmth of their patina.
The Elgin marbles are more than a national possession.
Successive Greek Governments have been anxious to see them restored
to their places on the Parthenon. It has been an argument against
this that their preservation was better assured in the Museum.
However ill or well founded the anxiety about their condition
may be, a statement by Sir John Forsdyke, the Director of the
Museum, giving the facts of the case would be welcome.
Cutting from STAR. 21 March 1939
"Patina" Was Just Dirt To This Cleaner
by A. G. Thornton
Hypersensitive fellows are complaining that certain of the Elgin
Marbles have lost their patina.
Passing over the hopeless ones who think that the Elgin Marbles
are a Scottish ground game, we come to the larger artistic minority
who do not know a patina when they see it.
This is a British Museum business, and a certain amount of
mystery surrounds these famous marble sculptures (part-worn)
brought back by the 7th Earl of Elgin from Athens more
than 100 years ago.
Not A Word
Recently somebody (his name is never mentioned now) started
giving these B.M. marbles a wash and brush up, thus jeopardising,
in the opinion of some, the exquisite patina - the accumulation of
grime caused by long exposure to atmosphere.
Like the mouldy bits of gorgonzola, this patina is much admired
by artistic epicures.
To-day the usual parties were conducted around the Bloomsbury
mausoleum, and not a word was said about any patina. Cecrops and
his daughter were as usual upset about something, though it was
difficult to say what as they have no faces., Across the road
Selene was performing her usual act of descending into the sea and
Demeter was holding her hands up in horror.
Woman's Viewpoint
But there were sinister blanks. Selene, for instance, had lost
her horse. Iris had gone and the horses of Helios were also
missing. But it is all right really. They are all having a move
into new and better service flats (or stables) in the new Elgin
room.
A number of other pieces were boarded up as for an air
raid. It was an air raid really, because the masons were making a
new doorway and these valuables had to be protected from the flying
splinters and dust.
But the Elgin glories remain, particularly that sculptured glory
of glories, the Fates. As one entranced woman tourist said, "Aren't
their frocks lovely, and haven't they worn well?"
Elgin Marbles (Worth £1,000,000) Damaged in Cleaning
By William Hall, Daily Mail Reporter (March 25th
1939)
Reports of irreparable damage to the Elgin Marbles, priceless
world-famous treasures housed in the British Museum, have been
whispered in art circles during the past few weeks. Yesterday I was
permitted to see the damage.
In the new £80,000 gallery, which has been presented by Lord
Duveen to house the Marbles, and is to be opened soon, there are
already a number of slabs from the Parthenon frieze. They bear
figures of Greek youths and maidens, some on horseback, some afoot
and, undoubtedly they have been damaged during cleaning.
Traces of patina have been removed, leaving an unnatural
whiteness. Patina, the result of a process closely resembling
oxidisation, develops on marble in the passing of centuries.
In the case of the Elgin Marbles, it has given to the pieces a
lovely orange-golden sheen which, in the eyes of art lovers,
greatly increases the attractiveness of the lovely Marbles, and it
is this sheen which has been removed from a number of them.
Washed by Experts
The British Museum authorities are greatly concerned that the
damage should have been done, even inadvertently, but it was
pointed out to me that only experts are likely to detect it.
It is not intended to withdraw the over-cleaned pieces from
public view. They are being placed in the new gallery, and will be
on show when it is opened.
It is the rule to wash the Marbles in distilled water, using a
light sponge and a special liquid soap prepared in the museum's
laboratory, and those engaged in the task are specially
instructed.
Fifth Century B.C.
Removal of the patina occurred during cleaning operations while
the former keeper of the Roman and Greek antiquities, Mr. F. N.
Pryce, was temporarily absent through illness. Mr. Pryce last year
resigned his appointment. Shortly after the damage was discovered a
report was prepared for the trustees, who include Dr. Lang,
Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Maugham, the Lord Chancellor, Earl
Baldwin, and Lord Harlech.
The Elgin Marbles, which, if they could be priced at all, would
be valued at £1,000,000 at least, were brought to Britain from
Athens just over a century ago by the seventh Earl of Elgin. They
date to the fifth century B.C., and are believed to have been
carved under the direct supervision of Phidias, greatest sculptor
of classical antiquity.
The Greeks never forgave Lord Elgin for what they called his
"robbery" of the Marbles, although he removed them from the
Acropolis only for safe keeping in Britain, under an agreement with
the Turkish authorities then in power.
DAILY EXPRESS, 25 MARCH 1939
MYSTERY AT THE MUSEUM
There has been trouble at the British Museum.
There have been resignations - notably that of ROGER HINKS, of
the Department of Greek & Roman antiquities.
Visitors have noticed with surprise the whiteness of the Elgin
Marbles - the sculptured groups which schoolboys have been taught
to revere as ancient art's highest achievement ever since they were
pinched for us from Greece in1806.
They have recently been given a thorough "scrubbing" which some
critics regret.
Museum trustees have conferred earnestly about the matter.
There has been so much talk about it that they ought surely to
issue a statement.
Anything to do with the welfare of the British Museum - which
the State subsidises to the extent of getting on for £200,000 a
year - is of public interest.
Extract from Country Life, April 8th 1939
THE ELGIN MARBLES
The disquieting rumours now current that some of the Elgin
Marbles have been "ruined" by unauthorised cleaning are, of course,
wholly untrue and can be dispelled by simply looking at those on
view in the Elgin room at the British Museum. Routine washing with
soap and water was authorised in preparation for the removal of the
sculptures to the new Duveen Room, but in the process it appears
that other means of cleaning were employed without the knowledge of
the Museum authorities. Gossip speaks of the patina of some of the
pieces being destroyed; even of the surface being removed to an
appreciable extent. Confirmation is afforded of some irregularity
having taken place by the resignation of an official; but, so far
from any material damage having been done, even an expert eye would
find it difficult to distinguish between the sculptures cleaned by
authorised means and those by unauthorised. The pediment groups do
not seem to be involved. From the layman's point of view the pieces
cleaned actually look all the better. But it is the infringement of
archaeological canons that makes the incident serious: the fact
that, without the knowledge of the authorities, means of cleaning
other than those prescribed by them should have been employed, and
thus, not the marbles themselves, but the documentary record of
their handling, have been technically damaged.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
MAY 1ST 1939
Elgin Plaster Casts
Ingenious methods are employed by the British Museum authorities
to conceal from visitors the state of the Elgin Marbles after their
recent "cleaning."
I visited the Museum during the week-end and found that the
figure of Iris in the East Pediment and the horses of the Sun and
Moon at either end of this had been replaced by life-like casts.
The square metopes, showing Centaurs and Lapiths struggling, are
not on view in any form.
A rather ungrateful whispering campaign has been started to
suggest that the treatment the Elgin Marbles have undergone is the
responsibility of Lord Duveen. It is to him that the erection of
the new Elgin Gallery is due.
Lord Duveen, of course, is not an official of the Museum, and
the Marbles have never been in his charge.
Director's Responsibility
They are the responsibility of the Director, Sir John
Forsdyke.
His selection by the Trustees in 1936 met with some criticism
owing to his lack of administrative experience. At that time he had
only been Keeper of a Department for four years.
It was, however, considered that the new Elgin Room was the
largest problem facing the Museum, and the Trustees are said to
have taken the view that it would be wise to appoint as Director
someone whose expert knowledge was particularly connected with
Greek antiquities.
Sir John Forsdyke has denied that the retirement of his former
colleagues, Mr. Pryce and Mr Hinks, is connected with any trouble
over the cleaning of the Marbles. From this it is clear that Sir
John himself assumes full responsibility.
I understand that whatever artistic damage may have been done to
the sculptures mineralogists from the Natural History Museum
consider that the Marbles, viewed purely as stone, are
unimpaired.
Letter from D. W. Stather Hunt to The Telegraph, 11 May 1939
THE ELGIN MARBLES
The remarks on the Elgin Marbles in "London Day by Day" of May 1
last have attracted widespread attention among lovers of ancient
Greek art but so far the story appears to be one-sided. Surely some
statement from the Museum authorities is called for? It is, perhaps
not generally realised that the Elgin Marbles are public property,
bought with taxpayers' money in 1816, and that the British Museum
itself is entirely supported out of national revenue. It is to be
hoped that any statement made will be in specific, not in general
terms.
D. W. Stather Hunt
Magdalen College, Oxford
SUNDAY TIMES LETTER (14 May 1939) FROM ROBERT BYRON
Letters to the Editor
ELGIN MARBLES IN BRITISH MUSEUM
Need for an Official Statement
To the Editor, Sunday Times
Sir, - It is now two months since tales began to circulate of a
mishap to the Elgin Marbles. Hints of irregularity in the treatment
of the marbles have appeared in the Press, and more than hints in
private conversation. Yet still the Museum has not been able to
issue a statement. Is it to be assumed, or do the Museum
authorities assume, that the public has no interest in what happens
to the national art treasures? We have waited in patience.. I
suggest that the time has now come when either a statement must be
forthcoming or the question raised in Parliament.
The Elgin Marbles have a more universal importance than any
other works of art in the keeping of this country. If a Chinese,
for example, said he had come to England to penetrate the spirit of
the West, a wise man might answer: "You have started at the wrong
end; you ought to have gone to the Mediterranean first. But now you
are here, it happens that we do possess in London a set of
sculptures from the Parthenon at Athens which will show you the
spirit of the West in its early freshness. From these you may
discover in visible form that conception of human dignity, that
power of observation and that habit of measured statement which
makes us prize liberty, pursue knowledge and exercise reason; for
this is the way of thinking - so different from your own more
antique and laborious accumulation of common sense and aesthetic
emotion - which has given us power and wealth and which the Greeks
laid down for us. The Piccadilly tube will take you to the British
Museum. Once you have grasped the meaning of these mutilated
stones, you can begin to study the British Constitution or the mass
production of aircraft or anything else that strikes you as typical
of our civilisation."
"Was it a British conqueror," the Chinese might reply, "who
brought these sculptures from a subject land?"
"No, it was a noble ambassador, who paid £35,000 out of his own
pocket to fetch them."
The Cleaning Process
A hundred years have passed since London first
acclaimed
...the modern Pict's ignoble boast
To rive what Goth, and Turk, and Time hath spared."
And for a hundred years the London atmosphere has been
encrusting those once sun-kissed figures with a sheath of corrosive
soot; so that until the last few months, it might have been
necessary to warn the Chinese that these murky shapes, lost in the
twilit caverns of a hyperborean metropolis, demanded a certain
effort of imagination.
This has been accentuated in recent years by the contrasting
splendour of such galleries as the Pergamum Museum in Berlin and
many others in America, erected to house far less important
objects. But at length a champion has emerged, as munificent as
Elgin himself, in the person of Lord Duveen. He has built a gallery
of unequalled magnificence, Doric in idea and so big that the
figures can be seen from the distance the sculptor intended. `To be
worthy of such an edifice it was decided that the marbles must be
cleaned. Many of them have already been installed in their new
state, and though the gallery is not yet open to the public the
courtesy of the Museum officials has enabled certain visitors to
examine them there.
It is not necessary to be an authority on Greek sculpture to see
that the cleaning process, however much it may have improved on the
previous state of the marbles, has not restored them to their
original appearance. Anyone who knows the patina of Pentelic
marble, who has run his hands over the knife-like edges of the
Parthenon or the objects in the Acropolis Museum and felt those
innumerable tiny asperities and translucencies which make that
stone the most vivid material that ever rewarded a carver's skill,
can see at once that the marbles in Lord Duveen's new gallery have
lost this patina. The lustre and the gentleness have vanished. The
lumps of stone remain, robbed of life, dead as casts.
Right to Information
The Museum authorities may argue, possibly with absolute truth,
that the armour of grime with which the marble was coated had
already devoured the patina beyond hope of recovery. But they do
not argue this. They argue nothing at all.
The public has a right to be informed, not only on account of
its concern for the national collections, but for the sake of our
relations with Greece. Greece has never relinquished her claim to
the marbles' return. So far this claim has been met by two rather
doubtful arguments; first, that Lord Elgin saved the marbles from
destruction by removing them; secondly, that if they were returned,
they would not be properly shown or cared for. If the marbles can
now be shown, as I think they can, to have been irrevocably damaged
by their sojourn here, the first argument collapses. If that damage
was due to negligence, the second collapses also. It is unlikely
that Greece is any more anxious to pick a quarrel with us at this
moment than we are with her. But mysteries rankle. Let us clear the
situation and let in the light, even if we have to apologise in
doing so.
London, S.W.3. Robert Byron
The Times Thursday May 18 1939
Cleaning the Elgin Marbles
For a good many weeks past it has been impossible to move among
people of artistic or antiquarian interests in London without
hearing alarming rumours about the Elgin Marbles; and some
references to the matter have appeared in print. The statement
published this morning from the Trustees of the British Museum
(even though it is phrased with an extreme official caution) should
finally dispel the foolish stories that have been told of damage
done during cleaning. In fact, so far as the lay eye can detect, no
harm of any kind has been done to the Marbles; and whether any
change (other than the removal of dirt) will be detected in them by
the experts after close and prolonged examination not even the
experts can yet say.
The relevant points of the story are soon told. LORD DUVEEN has
built a gallery (not yet open to the public) specially to house the
Elgin Marbles, and the opportunity was taken to clean them. When
the cleaning had gone a certain way it was discovered that, unknown
to the officials in charge of the Department of Greek and Roman
Antiquities, a method of cleaning was being used of which the
Trustees disapproved because it was held to be dangerous. The
object of this unauthorized method was, it seems, to remove certain
spots of discoloration on the statues, but whether any such spots
were in fact removed is not known. Certainly no one can tell by
ordinary methods of inspection which of the statues were so
cleaned, and which (and these are the bulk of the series) were
cleaned by the accepted methods. The Elgin marbles show many
differences of colour, many varying degrees of preservation of the
surface which ill-informed or malicious criticism might
misinterpret. These differences have nothing to do with the recent
cleaning or with any other, but are due to the varying disposition
of the Marbles on the outside of the Temple of which, facing the
sea winds, they formed part for more than 2,000 years, or to the
different positions in which some of them lay on the ground between
their fall from the Parthenon and their removal by LORD ELGIN. To
base upon the recent incident any argument that the Elgin Marbles
are not properly cared for in their present home is to exaggerate
it out of all proportion. If the Museum authorities themselves had
not chosen, quite rightly, to take a grave view of the matter, it
would probably never have been suspected that there had been the
slightest irregularity.
PARTHENON ENQUIRY
DIRECTOR'S NOTE ON `THE POLICY OF THE TRUSTEES IN REGARD TO
PUBLICATION OF THE FACTS.'
However full the announcement may be which the Trustees send
officially to the Press, it will be amplified by the
representatives of newspapers in London from their own enquiries
and observations. I would therefore advise that the official
announcement be as brief and bare as possible, and that I be
authorised to add details within certain limits in answer to
personal enquiries by accredited representatives of the Press.
To be appended to the Report:
`The Trustees of the British Museum regret to announce that in
the process of (cleaning) preparing...for removal the Parthenon
sculptures preparatory to their being placed in the new galleries,
which have been built by Lord Duveen, improper and unauthorised
methods have been employed in some instances through the negligence
of the responsible officers.
Information to be given orally in answer to specific
questions:-
`What were the improper methods?'
`What damage has been done?' (This question to be referred to
the enquirers' own powers of observation).
`Who wanted to improve the colour?'
`Who made the unauthorised efforts?'
`Why were the efforts made?'
`Why were they not stopped?'
'Who are the responsible officers'
`What has been done about them?'
CUTTING FROM THE TIMES. THURSDAY MAY 18 1939
ELGIN MARBLES
TRUSTEES' POLICY ON CLEANING
USE OF NEW METHODS STOPPED
The following official statement has been received by The
Times regarding the recent cleaning of the Elgin Marbles in
the British Museum:-
"The Trustees of the British Museum have had under consideration
the recent cleaning of the Elgin Marbles in connexion with their
rearrangement in the new galleries which have been built by Lord
Duveen. They found that unauthorized methods were being introduced
in some instances, with the intention evidently of improving the
appearance of the marble by removing spots of discolouration from
its surface. Since this was done without the knowledge of the
officers of the Museum who were responsible for the cleaning it has
not yet been possible to determine precisely the extent to which
these methods were applied. To anyone but an expert their effect is
imperceptible. The Trustees do not allow any departure from their
approved methods, and at once took the necessary steps to ensure
that no such innovations should be adopted in the Museum."
The Elgin Marbles are those portions of the sculpture from the
Parthenon at Athens which were brought to England by the seventh
Earl of Elgin in 1806, and bought by the British Government in
1816. They have long been considered among the chief treasures of
the British Museum. During recent weeks there have been rumours,
happily dispelled by the above announcement, that they had suffered
more or less serious damage during cleaning before their removal to
the gallery which Lord Duveen has built for their display.
Daily Express. Friday, May 19, 1939. Front page and page 2
(typed from newspaper itself).
`I am the man who cleaned the Elgin Marbles'
The Great Elgin Marbles mystery was partially solved last
night
Rubbed off Dirty Spots
Daily Express Staff Reporter
The Great Elgin Marbles mystery was partially solved last
night.
Arthur Holcombe, 11s.-a-week pensioner of the British Museum
told me that, while in charge of six masons cleaning the treasures
- valued at £1,000,000 at least - he used a blunt copper tool "to
get off some of the dirtier spots."
Mr. Holcombe, seventy-three years old, lives in North London. He
worked at the British Museum thirty-four years earned £3.17s. a
week, and was always amazed at the beauty of the Marbles.
They are sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens, bear figures
of Greek youths and maidens, some on horseback, some afoot. Their
cleaning was ordered before their transference to the £80,000
gallery Lord Duveen has presented for their housing.
ASKED IN VAIN
When it was alleged they had been damaged in the process famous
figures in the art world pressed - in vain - for a statement from
the Museum authorities.
Mr. Holcombe said:-
"I was told to begin cleaning them two years ago. As head man, I
was put in charge of six Museum labourers.
"We were given a solution of soap and water and ammonia. First
we brushed the dirt off the marbles with a soft brush. Then we
applied the solution with the same brush. After that we sponged
them dry, then wiped them over with distilled water.
"That was all we were told to do. To get off some of the dirtier
spots I rubbed the Marbles with a blunt copper tool. Some of them
were as black with dirt as that grate" said Mr. Holcombe pointing
to his hearth.
"As far as I know, all that had been done for years to clean
them was to blow them with bellows.
"The other men borrowed my copper tools and rubbed the Marbles
with them as I did. I knew it would not do them any harm, because
the copper is softer than the stone. I have used the same tools for
cleaning marble at the Museum under four directors.
"One or two of the slabs of the frieze came up rather white, and
I am afraid they caused the trouble. But anybody who knows anything
about marble knows that if you treat two slabs in exactly the same
way it is possible they will come up a different colour.
"All the time we were working officials of the Museum were
passing through the room. We had been at it fifteen months when I
was told there was a complaint.
"The six men and I were called before a committee of trustees
and the director of the Museum. We went in separately and they
asked us all kinds of questions about how we had been cleaning the
Marbles.
3 Weeks' Notice
"I told them about the copper tool. I went before the committee
three times, but I never heard what their decision was.
"Three months after the last committee meeting the director of
works called me to his office, and told me that as I was over age I
would have to retire. He gave me three weeks' notice, and I got a
pension.
"The retiring age at the Museum is sixty-five. When I left I was
seventy-two.
"I am sure the work we did on the Marbles did them no harm. I
wanted to be a sculptor when I was a boy, but when my father died I
could not continue my studies, so I became a mason.
"Before I went to the Museum I did some work on Westminster
Abbey."
Yesterday the Trustees of the British Museum issued a statement
that they found unauthorised methods were being introduced in some
instances, and that this was done without the knowledge of the
officers of the Museum who were responsible for the cleaning.
The statement added that the effects of the methods used were
imperceptible to any one but an expert, and concluded:-
"The Trustees do not allow any departure from their approved
methods, and at once took the necessary steps to ensure that no
such innovations should be adopted in the Museum."
The Elgin Marbles are so called because they were brought to
England by the seventh Earl of Elgin. The Government bought them in
1816.
LETTER FROM JACOB EPSTEIN TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES, DATED MAY
19
CLEANING OF MARBLES
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES
Sir
In your issue of May 2, 1921, I protested against the "cleaning"
and restoring of the Greek marbles at the British Museum,
particularly the Demeter of Cnidus. My protest went unheeded and I
was jeered at for concerning myself with what I was told was no
business of mine. Eighteen years have passed, and now the cleaning
and restoration of the Elgin marbles are causing uneasiness, and
questions are asked as to whether the famous marbles have been
damaged in the process. The British Museum authorities have
admitted that any change in the marbles is only to be distinguished
by the practised eye "of an expert," wherever that resides! An
interview published in the Press with the head cleaner of the
marbles has elicited the information that a copper tool "softer
than marble" (how incredible) was used. Why a cleaner and six hefty
men should be allowed for 15 months to tamper with the Elgin
marbles as revealed by the head cleaner passes the comprehension of
a sculptor. When will the British Museum authorities understand
that they are only the custodians and never the creators of these
masterpieces?
Faithfully yours,
Jacob Epstein
18, Hyde Park Gate, S.W.7, May 19
The Daily Telegraph
Friday, May 19, 1939
Cleaned Elgin Marbles
Now that a Parliamentary question has been put on the Order
Paper regarding the Elgin Marbles, to the condition of which I have
more than once referred. I see that the Trustees of the British
Museum have issued a statement on the question.
In this they declare that unauthorised methods of proceeding
have been introduced with an effect on the sculptures
"imperceptible to anyone but an expert," and that they have taken
the necessary steps to see that no such innovation should be
adopted by the Museum.
The statement also declares that this cleaning process was used
without the knowledge of the officers responsible for the
cleaning.
British Museum and the Press
It seems odd that this cleaning, which must have occupied a
considerable time, escaped the observation of the Director, Sir
John Forsdyke.
Incidentally, the Trustees' statement was not made to the Press
as a whole. Recently I called attention to the fact that Sir Philip
Sassoon had given details of the work of his Department to a single
paper.
The official announcement of the Trustees is also clearly a
public matter which should have been issued in the normal
manner.
Saturday, The Evening News May 20, 1939
Epstein Is Very Angry About The Way British Museum Treated The
Elgin Marbles
"Experts" are ignorant, he says
"Damage is done now to priceless art"
Hint to Trustees
"Let Working Sculptors Advise You"
His hands white with the dust of the stone he had just been
carving, Mr. Jacob Epstein had a few unkind words to say about the
methods of the British Museum's custodians of sculpture to-day.
"Eighteen years ago I protested against the cleaning and
`restoring' of Greek marbles there," Mr. Epstein said to me (writes
an Evening News representative).
"The only result was that I was ridiculed and abused by
everybody, and especially by the people who had never in their
lives worked on a piece of marble, though, artists all over the
world were shocked by the news that the Museum authorities had
added a false nose to the Demeter of Cnidus.
How Did It Happen?
"Now comes the revelation that for 15 months some workman has
been scraping the Elgin Marbles with a copper tool. It is admitted
that this method is unauthorised: what needs explaining is how it
came to be used for all that time without action being taken.
"I hear that two officials have resigned, but in the meantime
the damage has been done.
"I have had some dealings with these museum authorities, and
have found them ignorant and opinionated almost beyond belief.
Once, for instance, I was urged to show a piece of Sumerian
sculpture to one of these experts.
"He promptly declared that the attitude of the hands and feet
proved that it was not genuine.
"A Fake," He Said
"I then satisfied him that the hands and feet were exactly in
accordance with the Sumerian style. Then almost without looking at
it, he coolly said: `Anyway, the statue is a fake, a very clever
fake.'
"The Elgin Marbles are utterly beyond price, supreme works of
art, and I think I know them as well as any of the curators, if not
better.
"The obvious and only sensible thing for the Trustees to do is
to have an advisory panel of working sculptors whom they can
consult on these matters, instead of leaving them to a group of
archaeologists and chemists.
"The kind of thing which has just been revealed makes Britain
the laughing-stock of the whole civilised world."
The Times Monday May 22 1939
CLEANING OF THE MARBLES
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES
Sir,
In his letter to you of to-day's date Mr. Jacob Epstein refers
to his letter of May 2, 1921, in which he complained of the
"cleaning" and restoring of Greek marbles at the British Museum,
particularly the Demeter of Cnidus. He now complains that his
protest went unheeded; but he must have missed the statement in
your issue of May 3 and Professor Percy Gardner's letter of May 4.
Had he read these he would have understood that the Demeter had not
been cleaned in the drastic way which he alleged. The "restoration"
was confined to the experimental addition of the nose in plaster
which could be easily, and was indeed immediately afterwards,
removed.
A point that was not made in those communications, however, may
be mentioned here. The Demeter has never had a "mellow golden
patine" within living memory. (My own memory of her goes back to
the eighties). But the plaster cast which, for safety's sake,
filled her place during the War was of a nice yellow colour. Mr.
Epstein must have become accustomed to the cast, which less expert
critics than himself may well have taken for an original.
I may be allowed to add that no such thing as "restoration" of
the Parthenon marbles has been or will be undertaken as long as the
authorities of the British Museum have them in their keeping: and
no "cleaning" other than simple washing with neutral soap and
distilled water is authorized in the Museum.
I am. Sir, your obedient servant,
George Hill
12, Sussex Place, Regent's Park, N.W.1. May 20.
FRONT PAGE OF THE DAILY TELEGRAPH AND MORNING POST. London,
Monday, May 22, 1939.
ELGIN MARBLES SUFFER THROUGH RENOVATION
Certain Pieces Not Yet Replaced
MUSEUM TRUSTEES' REPORT
Unauthorised Methods Introduced
by T. W. EARP
"Daily Telegraph" Art Critic
The Elgin Marbles in the British Museum are now open to the
public again after the rearrangement and cleaning which have been
carried out in recent months, and I visited them during the
week-end to investigate reports that they had suffered in the
process.
As a result I must record the unpleasant fact that the reports
are true and that, to say the least, the beauty of the world's most
renowned group of sculptures has been diminished.
The glory that was Greece, so complete and harmonious, has
disappeared in the brand-new aspect of most of the work.
This is especially the case in the procession of Athenian
cavalry on the north side of the frieze. Removal of the patina has
left the incongruity of stone as bright as though it had been
freshly quarried, yet indented with the usage of time.
The large figures on the pediment, of Cecrops and his daughter,
now seem little better than withered stone, while the excoriations
on that of Theseus are plainly revealed. In unfortunate contrast
the Three Fates still retain their discolourations.
UNITY OF TONE DESTROYED
Thus, the sculptures' previous unity of tone and of
surface-effect has been destroyed, the cleaning having either been
checked at some stage or unequally carried out. In addition, some
of the casts of missing portions preserve their dark hue and clash
violently with the rewhitened marble.
What is original material and what is plaster is neither clearly
shown nor satisfactorily concealed.
The metopes of Centaurs and Lapiths are not yet replaced. If
this arouses misgivings as to their condition, the persistent
reticence of the Museum officials does nothing to dispel them. To
what extent some of the scars may even be the result of the recent
drastic handling cannot be estimated.
The Museum trustees say that "They found that unauthorised
methods of cleaning were introduced in some instances" and that
"since this was done without the knowledge of the officers of the
Museum who were responsible for the cleaning, it has not yet been
possible to determine precisely the extent to which these methods
were applied."
The rearrangement and the cleaning of the sculptures was made
possible by the generosity of Lord Duveen.
The Elgin Marbles were brought to England from Greece by the
seventh Earl of Elgin. They were bought by the British Government
in 1816.
Tuesday May 23, 1939
The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post
Elgin Marbles
Beauty Lost in Cleaning
by T. W. Earp
I understand that the cleaning of the Elgin Marbles in the
British Museum is nearing completion. In the process it is widely
rumoured certain damage has been sustained by these famous
sculptures.
The damaged pieces are in the new gallery presented to the
Museum by Lord Duveen.
This has not yet been opened to the public, and my request for
admission to view them was met by a categorical refusal.
With regard to the Marbles that have undergone cleaning, in the
Elgin room, it is my opinion that a change has not been made for
the better by this refurbishing.
In their new-found brightness the precious relics of Greek art
have lost much of their former aspect of mellow antiquity.
It is the surface mellowness, the patine which is time's gradual
imprint, which for many was so important an element in the beauty
of the sculptures as a whole. It knit them in a single unity, and
made less obvious the hurt sustained in rough usage at some past
period.
Now the defacements and marks of old accidents stand out with a
startling and confused effect in the lightened line of the
stone.
The presence of such blemishes contradicts the argument of those
who favour the drastic renovation on the ground that it brings
closer the work's appearance when it left the sculptor's hand.
The ancient artists had the accretion of patine in view as part
of their marble's ultimate beauty. Wounds, and not the original
finish, are accentuated by severe cleaning.
Letter from Jacob Epstein to The Times Thursday May 25 1939
CLEANING OF MARBLES
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES
Sir,
With regard to the Elgin Marbles and the Demeter of Cnidus, Sir
George Hill in his letter in your issue of to-day imagines that I
took no cognizance of the letters and statements following my
letter of May 2, 1921. He mentions Professor Percy Gardner's letter
of May 4, 1921, in which as I recall the professor indulged himself
in what was to my mind merely a scholastic discussion and ignored
the vital issues at stake.
All these letters and statements, as I pointed out in my letter
of your last issue, were directed towards one purpose, which was to
point out how wrong I was in criticizing the British Museum
authorities, and I summed them all up there by saying simply, "My
protest went unheeded." The proof of this statement is that there
is now a very grave question about the cleaning of the Elgin
Marbles.
Sir George Hill was a keeper at the British Museum during the
years 1921-30, he will doubtless be able to recall that far from
the Demeter's restorations being removed immediately, they were
only removed in February, 1923, about two years later, when Dr.
Bernard Smith, exasperated beyond endurance by the obduracy of the
museum authorities, had squirted coloured juice on to the head of
the Demeter, thereby forcing the museum to take action.
Sir George is at circumstantial pains to prove that I was
unacquainted with the original marble and that, as he
disingenuously suggests, I may have mistaken a plaster cast shown
during the War for the Demeter. My memory of the Demeter goes back
to 1904, not very much later than that of Sir George's. I am not
mistaken when I assert that the head of the Demeter of Cnidus was
drastically treated in 1921.
It is not a question of only "a mellow golden patine" but of
what is far more important the scraping of the surfaces, and the
effect of that scraping on the planes of the marble.
I have myself seen the workmen at the museum at work on the
marbles and have been horrified by the methods employed.
Sir George ignores the statement of the chief cleaner, Mr.
Arthur Holcombe, three days ago, in the Press, that he had been in
the habit at the museum, under all of the last four directors, of
cleaning all the marbles with "a blunt copper tool" and that he
started on the Elgin marbles about two years ago and used this
tool. "Copper is softer than stone" he says. The absurdity of "the
softer than marble theory" is manifest. Has Sir George never heard
of the bronze toe of the statue of St. Peter in Rome kissed away by
the worshippers' soft lips?
"Putting me in my place" seems to be of greater importance to
the museum officials than the proper care and protection of the
Greek marbles.
The whole thing boils down not to an academic discussion on
cleaning and patination, but to the grave question as to whether
the Elgin marbles and the other Greek marbles are to be kept
intact, or to be in the jeopardy of being periodically treated, and
perhaps, in the end, being permanently ruined by the museum
officials through their lack of sculptural science.
The public is dissatisfied with the present state of affairs,
and clearly uneasy about the present condition of the Elgin
marbles, and must consider the answer for the Treasury in
Parliament by Captain Crookshank to a question about them, as both
equivocal and misleading. It was an admission of damage with an
attempt to minimise the responsibility of the Trustees of the
British Museum.
Faithfully yours,
Jacob Epstein
18, Hyde Park Gate, S.W.7. May 22.
Letter to The Times Friday May 26 1939 from George Hill
THE CLEANING OF MARBLES METHOD AUTHORIZED BY MUSEUM TRUSTEES
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES
Sir,
I have no wish to continue with Mr. Epstein a correspondence
which appears to be taking a personal turn, and I should be the
last to wish to "put him in his place," as to which we have all of
us made up our minds by this time.
But I repeat that the only method of cleaning the marbles
authorized by the Trustees was and is washing with soap and water.
It would be valuable to know what exactly were the methods which
Mr. Epstein says he saw used to his horror, and whether they were
being applied to marble or to plaster.
I must admit Mr. Epstein's correction as to the length of the
period during which Demeter wore her false nose; I will not
therefore quarrel with his assumption that there is not much
difference in the length of our familiarity with the marbles (to be
exact it is a matter of 20 years). We must, I fear, agree to differ
on his statement that the head was "scraped" in 1921.
The public may well feel uneasy, owing to the agitation which,
as Mr. Epstein's own experience will remind him, can be only too
easily worked up artificially; but how far they can trust those who
seek to instruct them in the public Press may be inferred from the
fact that they have been asked (though not, of course, by Mr.
Epstein) to believe that the group of "Cecrops and his Daughter"
has been a victim of such drastic "cleaning" that it now seems
"little better than withered stone." Since the original is still in
its place on the Parthenon and is represented in the British Museum
only by a plaster cast, it is hardly reasonable to hold the
Trustees responsible for its present condition.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
George Hill
12, Sussex Place, Regent's Park, N.W.1. May 25.
Extract from The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post, Friday May 26
1939
Worried over Elgin Marbles
Lord Duveen had been worried over the Elgin Marbles controversy
during the past two or three months.
He had hoped to be present when the new Elgin Gallery to house
them, of which he was the donor, was opened by the King later this
year. Unfortunately he was so ill when he arrived in London from
New York at the end of April that he was unable even to see the now
practically completed gallery.
I hear that he took very much to heart the suggestion that the
cleaning which the Marbles have lately undergone was in some way
his responsibility. As I pointed out a few days ago, he had
absolutely nothing to do with this.
I see that Lt.-Cmdr. Fletcher is putting a question on the
cleaning of the Marbles to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury
to-day.