A Rare 1787 Treasure Restored at the Reading Society of Corfu

One of the rare treasures of the Reading Society of Corfu’s library has regained the form befitting its historical and scholarly value.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of architect Vanda Alektoridou, former Head of the Department of Modern Monuments of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, conservation and rebinding work has been completed on the second volume of the monumental publication The Antiquities of Athens / measured and delineated by James Stuart F.R.S. and F.S.A. and Nicholas Revett, Painters and Architects (London, 1787).

The volume is one of the rare and valuable treasures held by the Reading Society and originates from a donation by the Harokopos family.

The work of British architects James Stuart (1713–1788) and Nicholas Revett (1720–1804), resulting from their mission to Greece with the support of the renowned Society of Dilettanti, constituted the first systematic and accurate architectural record of the antiquities of Classical Athens.

This monumental publication became a landmark in European archaeology and had a decisive influence on the spread of Neoclassicism in the West.

Of particular interest is the second volume, which records in remarkable detail the condition of the Parthenon in the late 18th century, only a few years before the removal of its sculptures by Lord Elgin.

The restoration of this particular volume also carries special symbolic significance, reinforcing the longstanding ties between the donor and the historic institution. Ms Alektoridou has previously honoured the Reading Society with the donation of her extensive personal archive concerning the designation of historic listed monuments in Corfu.

The Administrative Committee of the Reading Society expresses its warmest thanks to Ms Alektoridou for her tangible contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage and for her continued trust in the work of the Society.

The Reading Society of Corfu also operates an old book adoption programme, through which anyone interested may undertake the cost of conserving an old and rare publication.

👉 More information about the old book adoption programme:
https://anagnostiki-etairia-kerkyras.eu/arxiki/h-etairia/kane-dwrea/

Source and photographic material: Reading Society of Corfu

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