Les Marbres antiques de Délos conservés au Musée du Louvre

Dreams inspired by Phoebus: Western visitors to Delos from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century*

“…105 In 1824 the Comte de Forbin (Directeur-Générale des Musées Royaux) encouraged captains of the French navy to follow the example of the British in helping themselves to the antiquities of Delos. 106 It seems that they were already doing so. Two altars of similar style are now in the Louvre.…”

“…The remains of an epitaph can be seen between two bucrania. 109 Adolph Michaelis, later celebrated as the author of Ancient Marbles in Great Britain in which he catalogued many Delian antiquities, visited Delos and Rheneia in 1860, with the same captain who had taken the archaeologist and travel-writer Ludwig Ross there in 1841, just after some marbles had been removed by 'Mylord Grosvenor'. 110 An article in the Gardener's Chronicle of 1871 about the gardens of Eaton Hall, Cheshire, the seat of the Dukes of Westminster, mentions a conservatory (now known as the Camellia Walk, and preserved despite two rebuildings of the house) built in 1852: 'here is preserved an ancient marble altar brought from Delos by Lord Grosvenor'.…”

“…107 One, which is particularly similar to the inscribed altar at Wrest Park in the layout of its decoration, was purchased for the museum in 1816 from François Sallier of Aix-en-Provence, who had it from an unidentified M. de Saurin, possibly a naval officer, who brought it from Delos. 108 The other, which is larger and more weathered, was taken from Delos in 1817 by Captain Demelay of the frigate Zéphir. The remains of an epitaph can be seen between two bucrania.…”