Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 118, The Wolfson Gallery

Dawkins and Wood discovering Palmyra

Etching
1773 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
This print has been produced by a combination of two techniques: etching and engraving. The engraved lines are made by gouging lines into the surface of a metal plate, whereas the etched ones are produced by biting with acid into the plate. The plate is then inked and pressed onto a sheet of paper, which transfers the ink held in the lines in the plate.

Subject Depicted
This print shows the two explorers and antiquaries Robert Wood (?1717-1771) and James Dawkins (1722-1757), arriving at the ancient Roman site of Palmyra, in present-day Syria. They investigated this ruined city and its architectural remains in 1751, and published an account of their discovery in 1753 in The Ruins of Palmyra, otherwise Tedmor, in the Desert'. Both men are incongruously shown wearing Roman togas.

Palmyra had been a settlement since Neolithic times. It was an important site for several succeeding cultures: the Assyrians, the Greeks and finally the Romans. Under the Roman Empire, which annexed it in AD 217, Palmyra enjoyed a period of astonishing wealth gained from taxation of the flourishing trade routes. In AD 1089 the city was totally destroyed by an earthquake.

People
This print by John Hall (1739-1797) is based on an oil painting of 1758 by Gavin Hamilton (1723-1798), which is now in the Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow University. Hamilton was a Scottish-born painter, archaeologist and dealer, who spent most of his life in Rome.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDawkins and Wood discovering Palmyra (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Etching and engraving, ink on paper
Brief description
Engraving of Dawkins and Wood Discovering Palmyra, etched and engraved in London by John Hall, based on a painting of 1758 by Gavin Hamilton, 1773
Physical description
Print
Dimensions
  • Paper height: 49.2cm
  • Paper width: 56cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 31/08/2000 by Mounters Mount size H:620 x W: 680
Gallery label
British Galleries: The archaeological investigation of ancient remains in Greece, Turkey and Syria played an important part in the development of the Neo-classical style. The ancient city of Palmyra (now Tadmur) in the Syrian desert, was investigated in 1751 by Robert Wood and James Dawkins. They published their findings in 1753.(27/03/2003)
Object history
Etched and engraved in London by John Hall ( 1739- 1797), based on a painting of 1758 by Gavin Hamilton (1723-1798)
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
Object Type
This print has been produced by a combination of two techniques: etching and engraving. The engraved lines are made by gouging lines into the surface of a metal plate, whereas the etched ones are produced by biting with acid into the plate. The plate is then inked and pressed onto a sheet of paper, which transfers the ink held in the lines in the plate.

Subject Depicted
This print shows the two explorers and antiquaries Robert Wood (?1717-1771) and James Dawkins (1722-1757), arriving at the ancient Roman site of Palmyra, in present-day Syria. They investigated this ruined city and its architectural remains in 1751, and published an account of their discovery in 1753 in The Ruins of Palmyra, otherwise Tedmor, in the Desert'. Both men are incongruously shown wearing Roman togas.

Palmyra had been a settlement since Neolithic times. It was an important site for several succeeding cultures: the Assyrians, the Greeks and finally the Romans. Under the Roman Empire, which annexed it in AD 217, Palmyra enjoyed a period of astonishing wealth gained from taxation of the flourishing trade routes. In AD 1089 the city was totally destroyed by an earthquake.

People
This print by John Hall (1739-1797) is based on an oil painting of 1758 by Gavin Hamilton (1723-1798), which is now in the Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow University. Hamilton was a Scottish-born painter, archaeologist and dealer, who spent most of his life in Rome.
Collection
Accession number
22012

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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