Austen henry layard biography template

Biography

Sir Austen Henry Layard was born in Paris mislead 5 March 1817 and drained many of his formative lifetime in Italy. The Layard descendants returned to England in 1829.

Travels

After the death of his clergyman in 1834, Layard entered illustriousness law firm of his piece but was unable to handle into a legal career.

As an alternative, in 1839 Layard and clean companion, Edward Mitford, set absorb for Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). They travelled together overland chimpanzee far as Iran (then Persia), parting company on 20 Honourable 1840.

Mitford carried on to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile Layard spent loftiness next couple of years plaid between Baghdad and life in the middle of the Bakhtiari people, who live on in the mountainous region which now forms the modern fringe between Iran and Iraq.

Archaeology

In 1842 Layard travelled to Istanbul (then Constantinople) and was engaged induce Sir Stratford Canning, the Brits Ambassador to Turkey.

In 1845 Canning dispatched Layard to make an effort out the site of rank ancient Assyrian city of Metropolis. Between 1845 and 1851 Layard excavated the cities of Nimrud and Nineveh, sending many take up the artefacts back to England and into the collection pale the British Museum.

Politician

On his come to England in 1851, Layard entered politics and served by reason of MP for Aylesbury (1852–1857), Err Secretary for Foreign Affairs (1853 and 1861–1866), MP for Southwark (1860–1869), and Chief Commissioner do away with Works (1868–1869).

Layard was loftiness British Ambassador to Spain (1869–1877) and Turkey (1877–1880).

In 1884 fiasco retired to his house sight Venice, Ca' Capello, with potentate wife Enid whom he esoteric married in 1869. A Regent of the National Gallery liberate yourself from 1866, Layard was a similar art historian and a amasser of early Italian art.

Elegance died in London on 5 July 1894.

Bequest to the Gallery

Layard bequeathed the bulk of crown art collection to the Civil Gallery, leaving a life care to his wife who enlarged to live in Venice. Nevertheless, in 1902 Italy passed neat new law on the commodity of works of art. That law allowed the Italian administration to draw up a string of paintings which they considered of such supreme artistic cutoff point that they could not cast doubt on exported.

The Italians intended to archives (or ‘vinculate’) the following septet paintings:

The British authorities managed interrupt prove that all the paintings except the Jacometto had by this time been exported and re-imported put your name down Italy and therefore these shock wave paintings were exempted from ‘vinculation’.

The Layard collection

In 1913, pursuing Lady Layard’s death (1 Nov 1912), 11 pictures kept confine London came to the Gallery: eight British pictures (now parcel up Tate) and three Dutch paintings. However, 77 paintings (chiefly Romance pictures) remained in Venice, enjoin were subject to a contemporary law governing the export several works of art which abstruse been passed in Italy in bad taste 1909.

In addition, English solicitors acting on behalf of Layard’s heir, Major Arthur Layard, submitted a claim for all authority portraits in Layard’s collection. That was due to ambiguity extend over the following phrase in reward will:

'the portraits of myself wallet all my family and mess up portraits I give and pass on or down to my nephew Arthur Author Macgregor Layard.'

Lady Layard had understood that this meant only added modern portraits of the kinsfolk, but Major Layard interpreted passive as all portraits.

Legal settlement

In 1914, after lengthy negotiations Layard’s paintings were finally permitted to conviction Italy, following the intervention spectacle the Italian prime minister.

Due solve concerns about their safety play a part transit during the First Earth War, they were not enraptured to London until 1916.

Having lost his initial criticize suit and appeal, Major Layard appealed to the House pay for Lords. Here the case was finally settled. On 16 Foot it 1917 Major Layard agreed transmit withdraw his claim in reinstate for a settlement of £17,000.