The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

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Engraving of Portraits of Cleopatra I, Cleopatra II, Ptolemy IX Soter II, Ptolemy X Alexander I, Berenice III or Cleopatra, and Cleopatra VII, from Philae, Edfu, Qus and Dendara Duchesne

  • Curator’s description:

    Description

    The print shows six heads and shoulders in profile, accompanied by identifying hieroglyphs in cartouches. They are numbered from top to bottom and from left to right, and depict: no. 77: Cleopatra I, the first wife of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II, as portrayed at Philae (see Porter & Moss, "Topographical Bibliography", 2nd ed, Oxford (Clarendon Press & Griffith Institute): 1960-1999, vol. VI, pp. 119-168) no. 78: Cleopatra II, the second wife of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II, as portrayed in the pronaos of the temple of Horus at Edfu (for the temple see Porter & Moss, "Topographical Bibliography", vol. VI, pp. 119-168) no. 79: Ptolemy IX Soter II, as portrayed in the temple at of Horus Edfu and a gate at Qus (for Qus see Porter & Moss, "Topographical Bibliography", vol. VI, pp. 135-136) no. 80: Ptolemy X Alexander I, as portrayed in the temple of Horus at Edfu no. 81: Berenice III or Cleopatra, the only daughter of Ptolemy IX Soter II, as portrayed in the temple of Horus at Edfu no. 82: Cleopatra VII, daughter of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos, as portrayed on the rear wall of the Temple of Hathor at Dendara (Porter & Moss, "Topographical Bibliography", vol. VI, p. 79)

    It is part of a series representing the kings and queens of ancient Egypt, and is taken from the first volume of plates from Ippolito Rosellini's "Monumenti dell' Egitto e della Nubia", published in 1832. It was first catalogued by Ruskin in the "Catalogue of Examples" of 1870, as no. 15 C in the Educational Series, where he entitled it "Egyptian head-dress". However, it did not reappear in any of his subsequent catalogues, and so was not part of the collection transferred to the University in the Deed of Gift of 31 May 1875. As it can no longer be found, it is represented here by a black-and-white reproduction of a plate from the volume in the Sackler Library of the University of Oxford.

    The draughtsman identified as 'L' cannot be identified with certainty: he may have been either Nestor L'hôte or Charles Lenormant.

    In a note in "The Ethics of the Dust", explaining how the individual aspects of the Egyptian deities were still largely unknown, Ruskin was somewhat sceptical of Rosellini's qualities: 'for the full titles and utterances of the gods, Rosellini is as yet the only - and I believe, still a very questionable - authority' (Ethics of the Dust, note III = XVIII.363). In his entry below nos 176-180 in the Reference Series, Ruskin again questioned Rosellini's accuracy, noting that the colours were sometimes conjectural, 'slight traces of the original pigments, and those changed by time, being interpreted often too arbitrarily' (Standard and Reference Series catalogue, p. 22).

  • Details

    Artist/maker
    Lehoux (active 1828 - 1829)
    Alessandro Ricci (active 1828 - 1829)
    Carlo Lasinio (1759 - 1838) (engraver)
    Object type
    print
    Material and technique
    engraving on wove paper
    Dimensions
    [520 x 700 mm (approx., sheet)]
    Associated place
    Inscription
    All engraved:
    above the top left head: 77
    below the top left head: R. da L.
    above the top centre head: 78
    below the top centre head: R. DA LHX.
    above the top right head: 79
    below the top right head: R. DA LHX.
    above the bottom left head: 80
    below the bottom left head: R. DA D.
    above the centre left head: 81
    below the centre left head: R. DA D.
    above the bottom right head: 82
    below the bottom right head: A.
    top left: M.R.
    top right: No. XXII.
    bottom right: C.C. Lasinio sculp.
    Provenance

    Recorded in the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford), in 1870; not recorded in the collection subsequently.

    No. of items
    1
    Accession no.
    EXAMPLES.ED.015.c
  • Subject terms allocated by curators:

    Subjects

  • References in which this object is cited include:

    References

    Ruskin, John, Catalogue of Examples Arranged for Elementary Study in the University Galleries (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1870), cat. Educational no. 15.C

    Rosellini, Ippolito, I monumenti dell' Egitto e della Nubia: Disegnati dalla spedizione scientifico-letteraria toscana in Egitto: distributi in ordine di materie, 12 (Pisa: Presso N. Capurro, 1832-1844), pt I, Tavole, pl. XXII

    Ruskin, John, ‘The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogues, Notes and Instructions’, Edward T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn, eds, The Works of John Ruskin: Library Edition, 39 (London: George Allen, 1903-1912), 21

Location

    • not found

Ruskin's Catalogues

  • Ruskin's Catalogue of Examples (1870)

    15. Egyptian head-dress. B, C, &c., the same. See for these and No. 16, Rosellini, tom. i. plates 7, 10, and 22.

    Measure and draw these first with pencil; then, if you are able, with fine brush, or with pen and Indian ink, if the brush is unmanageable to you.

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