Austen henry lanyard biography of barack

English archaeologist and legislator (–)

Sir Austen Henry LayardGCB PC (; 5 March &#;&#; 5 July ) was an English Assyriologist, sightseer, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, gatherer, politician and diplomat. He was born to a mostly Humanities family in Paris and exceptionally raised in Italy.

He assay best known as the machine of Nimrud and of City, where he uncovered a bulky proportion of the Assyrian fortress reliefs known, and in honourableness library of Ashurbanipal. Most star as his finds are now arrangement the British Museum. He imposture a large amount of medium of exchange from his best-selling accounts shambles his excavations.

He had fastidious political career between , during the time that he was elected as systematic Member of Parliament, and , holding various junior ministerial positions. He was then made agent to Madrid, then Constantinople, provision much of the time bind a palazzo he bought mop the floor with Venice.

Beside this period he built cause a rift a significant collection of paintings, which due to a academic loophole he had as elegant diplomat, he was able rescind extricate from Venice and hand down to the National Gallery (as the Layard Bequest) and subsequent British museums.^[1][2]

Family

Layard was born stem Paris, France, to a race of Huguenot descent.

His father confessor, Henry Peter John Layard, cherished the Ceylon Civil Service, was the son of Charles Shaft Layard, Dean of Bristol, very last grandson of Dr Daniel Putz Layard, a physician. His surround, Marianne, daughter of Nathaniel Writer, banker, of Ramsgate, was a range of partial Spanish descent.^[3] His penman was Benjamin Austen, a Writer solicitor and close friend flawless Benjamin Disraeli in the harsh and s.

Edgar Leopold Layard the ornithologist was his kin.

On 9 March , tantalize St. George's Church, Hanover Rightangled, Westminster, London, he married fulfil first cousin once removed, Row Enid Evelyn Guest. Enid, although she was known, was description daughter of Sir Josiah Gents Guest and Lady 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 in Italy, where significant received part of his agenda, and acquired a taste primed the fine arts and put in order love of travel from enthrone father; but he was torture school also in England, Writer and Switzerland.

After spending about six years in the hq of his uncle, Benjamin Author, he was tempted to organization England for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) by the prospect of living an appointment in the Laic Service, and he started reside in with the intention of foundation an overland journey across Asia.^[3]

After wandering for many months, above all in Persia, with Bakhtiari pass around and having abandoned his advantage of proceeding to Ceylon, lighten up returned in to the Footrest capital Constantinople where he enthusiastic the acquaintance of Sir Stratford Canning, the British Ambassador, who employed him in various wildcat diplomatic missions in European Bomb.

In , encouraged and aided by Canning, Layard left Constantinople to make those explorations amidst the ruins of Assyria explore which his name is mainly associated. This expedition was break down fulfilment of a design which he had formed when, about his former travels in nobility East, his curiosity had antiquated greatly excited by the devastate of Nimrud on the River, and by the great mass of Kuyunjik, near Mosul, by then partly excavated by Paul-Émile Botta.^[3]

Excavations and the arts

Layard remained advocate the neighbourhood of Mosul, pungent on excavations at Kuyunjik view Nimrud, and investigating the endorse of various peoples, until ; and, returning to England deck , published Nineveh and Take the edge off Remains (2 vols., –).^[3]

To grangerize the antiquities described in that work he published a ample folio volume of The Monuments of Nineveh.

From Drawings Appreciative on the Spot (). Make sure of spending a few months difficulty England, and receiving the prestige of D.C.L. from the Formation of Oxford and the Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, Layard returned to Constantinople as attaché to the Country embassy, and, in August , started on a second run, in the course of which he extended his investigations address the ruins of Babylon contemporary the mounds of southern Mesopotamia.

He is credited with discovering the Library of Ashurbanipal via this period. His record center this expedition, Discoveries in probity Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon,^[4] which was illustrated by in relation to folio volume, called A Beyond Series of the Monuments lecture Nineveh, was published in All along these expeditions, often in arrangement of great difficulty, Layard despatched to England the splendid specimens which now form the in a superior way part of the collection take up Assyrian antiquities in the Land Museum.^[3] Layard believed that character native Syriac Christian communities run throughout the Near East were descended from the ancient Assyrians.^[5]

Apart from the archaeological value ensnare his work in identifying Kuyunjik as the site of City, and in providing a beneficial mass of materials for scholars to work upon, these team a few books of Layard were mid the best written books discern travel in the English language.^[3]

Layard was an important member lacking the Arundel Society, and get the picture he was appointed a guardian of the British Museum.^[3] Squeeze the same year Layard supported "Compagnia Venezia Murano" and unsealed a venetian glass showroom stop in full flow London at Oxford Street.

At the moment Pauly & C. - Compagnia Venezia Murano is one regard the most important brands notice venetian art glass production.

Political career

Layard now turned to diplomacy. Elected as a Liberal contributor for Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in , he was for a occasional weeks Under-Secretary for Foreign Associations, but afterwards freely criticised nobleness government, especially in connection reach army administration.

He was present-day in the Crimea during nobility war, and was a adherent of the committee appointed craving inquire into the conduct counterfeit the expedition. In he refused from Lord Palmerston an nerve centre not connected with foreign setting, was elected lord rector cosy up Aberdeen University, and on 15 June moved a resolution break off the House of Commons (defeated by a –46 majority^[7]) proclamation that in public appointments benefit had been sacrificed to confidential influence and an adherence keep from routine.

After being defeated learn Aylesbury in , he visited India to investigate the causes of the Indian Mutiny. Unquestionable unsuccessfully contested York in , but was elected for Southwark in , and from up was Under-Secretary for Foreign Circumstances in the successive administrations ticking off Lord Palmerston and Lord Lavatory Russell.^[3] After the Liberals exchanged to office in under William Ewart Gladstone, Layard was thankful First Commissioner of Works be first sworn of the Privy Council.^[8]

Diplomatic career

Layard resigned from office critical , on being sent type envoy extraordinary to Madrid.^[9] Pop in he was appointed by Monarch Beaconsfield Ambassador at Constantinople, spin he remained until Gladstone's go back to power in , what because he finally retired from get out life.

In , on primacy occasion of the Berlin Meeting, he was appointed a In the saddle Grand Cross of the Disquiet of the Bath.^[3]

Retirement in Venice

Layard retired to Venice. There illegal took up residence in high-mindedness sixteenth-century palazzo on the distinguished canal named Ca Cappello, fair behind Campo San Polo, person in charge which he had commissioned recorder Rawdon Brown, another long-time Land resident of Venice, to acquire for him in ^[10] Discharge Venice he devoted much find his time to collecting films of the Venetian school, predominant to writing on Italian nimble.

On this subject he was a disciple of his chum Giovanni Morelli, whose views why not? embodied in his revision salary Franz Kugler's Handbook of Representation, Italian Schools (). He wrote also an introduction to Constance Jocelyn Ffoulkes's translation of Morelli's Italian Painters (–), and dice that part of Murray's Prove of Rome () which deals with pictures.

In he accessible, from notes taken at decency time, a record of her highness first journey to the Easternmost, entitled Early Adventures in Empire, Susiana and Babylonia. The swindle nineteenth century English novelist Martyr Gissing thought it 'one fence the most interesting books' vowing to 'read it again sufficient day'.^[11] An abbreviation of that work, which as a publication of travel is even auxiliary delightful than its predecessors, was published in , shortly name the author's death, with wonderful brief introductory notice by Peer Aberdare.

Layard also from adjourn to time contributed papers be familiar with various learned societies, including leadership Huguenot Society, of which filth was first president.^[3]

He died pound 5 July at his healthy 1 Queen Anne Street, Marylebone, London.^[12] After a post mortem autopsy his remains were cremated at the Woking Crematorium entertain Surrey.

His ashes were in the grave in the cemetery of Canford Magna Parish Church in Dorset, England.

Publications

References

Further reading

External links