William Hamilton

Etruscan Vase Design (number 74)

24 x 19 inches

When Sir William Hamilton became British Envoy Extraordinary to the Bourbon Court of King Ferdinand IV in 1764 he travelled to Naples with his wife Catherine to take up the appointment. Whilst in Italy he was able to indulge his passion for archaeology and classical artefacts. He amassed a large collection of Etruscan vases which were eventually shipped to the British Museum in London where they formed the basis for the Greek and Roman Galleries. This plate, with its faithful colouring, is a wonderful evocation of what drove Hamilton in his passion for the antique. We see the central figure of a seated lady attended by a male servant to her right and a maidservant to her left.