Reconstructing the Lansdowne Collection of Classical Marbles

The renowned art dealer and consultant Ludwig Pollak tried to preserve the collection in its entirety by having it transported to Prague for the eightieth birthday of the president of the Czech parliament, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, but he was eventually forced to abandon this plan, thus presenting an opportunity for several dealers, especially Joseph Brummer, who bought nineteen lots from the estate. According to Angelicoussis, the Townley collection eventually saw its fame and prestige obscured by the original Greek sculptures of the Parthenon (the Elgin marbles) that eclipsed all other Classical artworks in the British Museum, whereas the individual pieces from the Lansdowne collection are considered gems in their numerous museums and private collections, large or small. In the second volume, appendix 1 provides a useful instrument to scholars interested in the collection: the author lists all the references to individual pieces of the Lansdowne collection found in a variety of literature and documents produced between 1762 and 1930 (447).