The Newsletter from The British School at Rome

BSRSummer 2013NEWSThe Newsletter from The British School at Rome

4 / BSR News Summer 2013january – june at Via Gramsci 61 continuedTitian at the BSRThe BSR was delighted to celebrate the outstanding exhibitionat Scuderie Del Quirinale of the life and works of Titian.The BSR and the AmericanAcademy in Rome co-sponsoreda series of events on Ovid and hislegacy, in which talks were givenby the American Academy WilliamB. Hart Poet in Residence, SeamusHeaney, and BSR Council member,Marina Warner. Ovid, of course,was a major source for some ofTitian’s mythological pictures. Wewere delighted to have the author ofthe remarkable biography of Titian,Lady Sheila Hale, to speak at theBSR on 14 May, and, at the conclusionof the talk, Heaney read his poemActaeon, based on a story by Ovid.This poem was specially written for theTitian events at the National Gallery,organised by Director Nicholas Penny,who is also on the BSR Council.Afterwards, during a dinner whichincluded representation from the IrishEmbassy in Rome, members of the Cityof Rome course and other residents hadthe opportunity to talk with the NobelPrize Winning author.Christopher Smith with Seamus andMarie HeaneyA day in the life of the City of Rome course 2013The City of Rome course forpostgraduates has taken placeeach April and May at theBSR since 1997. There arenow hundreds of alumni withfond memories of their timepounding the streets of Romein search of the ancient city,led for the last decade by theindefatigable Robert Coates-Stephens.For those of us not lucky enough tohave taken part, here is an example ofa typical day, in which the 2013 groupconcentrated on the Ostiense area ofRome and visited the Porta Ostiensisand Museum of Via Ostiensis, thePyramid of Cestius and its funerarychamber, Centrale Montemartinimuseum, Via Ostiensis and San Paolofuori le Mura. And that’s just themorning!Fresco from Pyramid of CestiusRelaxing after a hard day’s workPhoto Courtesy of Sue RussellSculpture in Centrale MontemartiniKeeping photographic recordsPhoto Courtesy of Elly MurkettPhoto Courtesy of Leah Wanklyn

BSR News Summer 2013 / 5Torino Britannica: Political andCultural Crossroads on the GrandTour in the Early Modern AgeTurin was an important destination for European Grand Touristsduring the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, not only due to itsstrategic position as the gateway to Italy, but increasingly because ofthe unique experience of modern culture, urbanism and architecturethat it offered travellers. This Savoyard capital was a vital politicaland diplomatic centre, and played host to large numbers of Britishtourists who visited the city to learn specifically about these areas,thus differentiating it from the other classic Grand Tour sites suchas Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice.The conference Torino Britannicawas held at the BSR as well as at theCentro Studi, Reggia di Venaria Realein Turin during the third week ofJune. This joint project, organised bythe two institutions, with invaluablesupport from the Paul Mellon Centre,marks the third in the series of projectsof Italo-British studies in the BSR,preceded by Roma Britannica: ArtPatronage and Cultural Exchange inEighteenth-century Rome (2011) andDigging and Dealing in EighteenthcenturyRome (2010). In addition,Torino Britannica is the third in a seriesof Savoy-European studies which theVenaria has undertaken, comprisingStato sabaudo e Sacro romano impero(2012) and Corte sabauda e curia romana(2011).The conference explored the educationand cultural formation of Britishtravellers through their sojourn atTurin, and also addressed anotheroverlooked, yet critical feature of thisinternational movement – the Italianside of and contribution to the GrandAl fresco conference dinner at the BSRTour experience – a phenomenonwhich may be called a ‘reverse’ GrandTour; namely, the movement ofartists, writers and other protagoniststravelling from Turin to Britain,enriching the cultural exchangesbetween the two locales.Assistant Director Joanna Kostylo,Research Fellow Karin Wolfe,and Paul Mellon Fellow JonathanYarker participated in this importantconference.Participants travelled across thecountry on their own ‘Grand Tour’towards Turin, where the secondpart of the conference took place.Seeing the local artefacts and placesthat were discussed by the speakersreinforced the sense of Turin as agreat place of interest for Britishtravellers, both now and in the past.This event brought together theteam of Torinese and internationalexperts on Turin, some of whomhad never met before, but they wereenthusiastic to exchange resourcesand discuss future collaborations.Visiting Reggia di Venaria Reale after the conference

6 / BSR News Summer 2013Thomas Jenkins,Grand Tour EntrepreneurPaul Mellon Centre Rome Fellow Jonathan Yarker’s research intothe life of Thomas Jenkins led him on a circuitous journey aroundRome, beginning of course, with the BSR Library and Archive.‘I have been working on a bookabout the cultural and commerciallife of Rome in the second half of theeighteenth-century using the life of anEnglishman called Thomas Jenkinsas a model. Jenkins arrived in Romein 1751, a penniless painter, but dueto his financial acumen he became themost powerful man in the papal state.My book examines the revolutionarycommercial model Jenkins developedto serve the stream of travellers to thecity undertaking the ‘Grand Tour’.He founded a banking service forEnglish travellers and acted as amiddleman for the commissioningof works of art, organising transport,finding accommodation and dealingwith all the minutiae of travel andacquisition.‘It is appropriate to have begunthis work at the BSR, as the onlysubstantive article on Jenkins wasby former director, Thomas Ashby.But since Ashby’s pioneering research,little new work has been done onJenkins and little has been done tocorrect the idea that he was a dishonestdealer who exploited the tourists hewas supposed to help. In trying todiscover more about Jenkins the manand recover his business methods,I spent time in a number of Romanarchives and, following up on severalleads, I visited a number of unexpectedplaces in Rome and Lazio.‘The discovery of a copy of Jenkins’will in the archive of the Accademiadi San Luca revealed the names ofJonathan Yarker and Torino Britannicaconference speaker Edward Chaneyhis friends and legatees. This ledme to identify Jenkins’ house on theCorso, in which he lived and housedhis bank, forming the centre of hisactivities for over forty years. TheRoman census provided informationabout his servants and particularlyhis clerk Carlo Ambroggio Riggi andhis nephews, John and James, and hisniece, Anna-Maria, who lived with himover the years. I knew that Anna Mariamarried a Roman called GiovanniMartinez, but it was not until I checkedthe census that I realised Jenkins’s nextdoor neighbour was Monsignor PioMartinez, the bride-groom’s uncle.Reading the Diario ordinario of Chracas,Rome’s main newspaper during theeighteenth century, I came upon aseries of accounts of the visit of WilliamHenry, Duke of Gloucester in 1772,including a list of the presents he sentthe Pope in gratitude for his hospitality,which included medical instruments,some of which I was able to establishstill survive at the Ospedale di SantoSpirito.‘Jenkins’ market-driven business modelis exactly what happens around theworld today and my work has mademe realise quite how talented he was.When an agricultural slump hit Britainin the 1780s and the American War ofIndependence prevented mass tourismfrom Britain, Jenkins began to cultivatenew markets. He encouraged tourismfrom Germany, Poland and Russia,selling huge quantities of paintingsand antiquities to Russian collectors,the oligarchs of their day!‘Undertaking a truly inter-disciplinarystudy such as this, exploring everythingfrom archaeology to internationalbanking and the practicalities of travel,is made so much easier at the BSR,where there are experts from such awide range of subjects. Dinner offersthe perfect opportunity to air researchproblems, as someone sitting at thetable nearly always knows the answer!My work on the Grand Tour builds onthat of another brilliant BSR scholar,the late Ilaria Bignamini, who oncedescribed Rome in the eighteenthcenturyas an ‘invisible academy’,an idea I find very powerful andstill true today.’

BSR News Summer 2013 / 7Susan Walker returns to the BSRSusan Walker’s BSR history islong and multi-layered. She firstcame to the BSR in the 1970s,and was subsequently electedto the Faculty of Archaeology,History and Letters in the 1980s.After her time at the BSR as2006/07 Balsdon Fellow, shejoined the Council in 2008, andreturned to the Faculty thisyear, where she is currentlyChair of Publications. For thefinal term of research leavefrom her post as Keeper ofAntiquities at the AshmoleanMuseum, Susan returned to theBSR this spring as the 2012/13Hugh Last Fellow to investigatethe Wilshere collection ofGold-glass, inscriptions andsarcophagi from the catacombsof Rome, acquired by theAshmolean in 2007.Susan organised a special trip to theJewish Catacombs, Vigna RandaniniSpectacular painting inside the vaults at Vigna RandaniniCharles Wilshere was an activeparticipant in the Oxford Movementof the Church of England duringthe late 1800s, and he acquired thecollection of Gold-glass as part of hisdetermination to shed light on earlyChristian ecclesiastical history as wellas its Judaic roots. Susan discovereda collection of letters in the VaticanLibrary Archives and the BibliotecaSan Luigi, Posilippo; letters betweenWilshere and the founding father ofearly Christian art and archaeology,Giovanni Battista de Rossi, and to deRossi’s rival, the Neapolitan Jesuitarchaeologist Raffaele Garrucci, shednew light on Wilshere’s activities andsubsequent attempts to interpret theart of the catacombs.As one of the senior scholars inresidence this spring, Susan’scommitment to the BSR communitywas singular. She organised seminars,site visits, and themed Sundays –Balustrade Sunday and CatacombSunday were particularly notable, notonly for their research merit, but alsofor the quality of the pizza shared ona park bench.‘I so enjoyed spending time withthe residents this spring. There areoutstanding scholars and artists at theBSR, and everyone was such goodcompany. I especially enjoyed the bowlingnights organised by the Camerone team!The jewel in the crown at the BSR is theLibrary; it is incredible to have unlimited,24/7 access to such a first class library,and the staff is outstanding. In addition tobeing such a great academic hub whichattracts scholars from numerous countries(including a significant group of Italianacademics), the other great strength isthe BSR’s conference programme, whichis excellent, not only for content, but forthe networking opportunities as well.This is the first time I’ve really worked inearly Christian archaeology, and as thisis a new subject area for me, the BSR’sability to help me connect with experts inthis area has been incredibly important.The combination of the Library andthe academic programme attracts reallyinteresting people and is enormouslyhelpful, regardless of whether you’re ayoung scholar or, like myself, a maturescholar investigating a new field’.

8 / BSR News Summer 2013Susan Walker returns to the BSR continuedThe Art of Making and the Making of Art SeminarSusan organised a trip to the Romanhouses on the Caelian Hill to lookspecifically at the evidence of howart was made for these houses andthe evidence of recycling of thematerials, one of the themes of theseminar. She purposely chose thistheme because of the shared interestbetween archaeologists, art historiansand artists, and as it is also a themeof current interest in the academicworld. Six residents bravelycontributed, including Rebecca Gill,Felix Davey, Mary Jacobus, ArrynSnowball and Yasmin Fedda.Mary Jacobus discussing ‘Narcissus and his Texts: Twombly’s Ovid’Independent Researcher and Invaluable Member of the 2013 BSR CommunityMary Jacobus, FBA, CBE, is Professor Emerita, University ofCambridge, where she was Director of the Centre for Researchin the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences from 2006 to 2011,and Professor Emerita, Cornell University, where she taughtfrom 1980-2000, returning after her retirement as M. H. AbramsDistinguished Visiting Professor for 2011-12. She has been in Romesince February to do research for a forthcoming book, and has beenan integral part of the BSR community this spring.Mary says, ‘The BSR provided aninvaluable context for finishing mybook on the American artist CyTwombly (1928-2012), whose workwas deeply affected by living amongthe paintings, buildings, poetry,and past of Renaissance and ancientRome. The BSR Library was an idealresource for working on Ovid, oneof Twombly’s favourite poets. Beingan independent visiting researchergave me access to the BSR’s lively andwelcoming intellectual community.Getting to know the extraordinarygroup of young scholars and artistswas an added bonus. My stay has beena rich and rewarding experience forwhich I am profoundly grateful to theBSR and its marvellous staff’.The BSR welcomes independentresearchers from all disciplines; theirpresence is always a positive additionto the environment of interdisciplinarydialogue and creativity here.

BSR News Summer 2013 / 9Fine ArtsNothing portrays the vitalityof the BSR better than thecreativity expressed through theactivities of the resident artists,and both the March exhibition,Ides of March, as well as theJune show, Please Be Quiet,were outstanding examples.The 2012/13 Fine Arts Cataloguehas just been published onthe website, www.bsr.ac.uk/research/fine-arts; please seethe Catalogue for details of theartists and their work.We were delighted to welcome bothSean Scully and Sir Howard Hodgkinto the BSR during the opening of theMarch exhibition, and we are proudto be one of the few institutions in theworld to host two of the greatest livingBritish painters on consecutive days.We were also pleased to have Professorof Fine Art, Northumbria University,and member of the BSR Faculty of theFine Arts, Helen Baker, at the BSR inApril. Her exhibition, The Material ofColour, opened on 18 April, allowingher to spend time with resident artistsas well.Photo courtesy Creative Scotland document Fellow Felix DaveyAbbey Fellow Stuart Cumberlanddocumenting drinking from the waterfountains of Rome2011/12 Max Mara Award-holderLaure Provoust was named to theshortlist for the 2013 Turner Prizein April. This follows 2010/11 ACEHelen Chadwick Fellow ElizabethPrice’s being named the 2012 TurnerPrize winner, as well as 2007/08Abbey Fellow Spartacus Chetwynd’snomination in 2012 as well. Again,the BSR’s representation in thisprestigious competition demonstratesthe impact we are able to have on thecontemporary art world.All of our activity in the visual artsrelies on the continued partnershipswith generous sponsors, and we aremost grateful for their support, as webuild on the programme of lectures,artist visits and exhibitions.Abbey Fellow Jonathan Baldock at theGiardino dei Tarocchi

10 / BSR News Summer 2013fine arts continuedNational Art School, Sydney, Residentin Drawing Dr John Di Stefano(University of Sydney), preparinghis work-on-paper “Due ModesteProposte Per Eliminare La Criminalita’in Italia” for the June Mostra, usinga vintage Olivetti typewriter sourcedfrom the BSR’s Archive Office. Afterremoving the ribbon, the typewriterwas used to make a long series ofembossed ‘full stops’ on the paperthreaded through the machine, thetypewriter thus functioning as a‘drawing tool’.Dr John Di Stefano1st Rome Fellowship in Contemporary Art a Huge SuccessThe Rome Fellowship in ContemporaryArt, a partnership with Mr NicholasBerwin, bears witness to the BSR’sability to collaborate with donorsto achieve a shared vision. Nicholashad been looking for opportunitiesto support emerging artists withsome sort of residency opportunity,and through discussions with SashaCraddock, he discovered that the BSRhad some available studio space and theinfrastructure in place to create suchan opportunity. After some discussion,Sasha and Nicholas concluded thatthere really should be a position fora contemporary artist that was notconnected to a specific medium.Nicholas therefore contacted CouncilMember and Chair of the Faculty of theFine Arts John Gill, and together theycrafted the initial idea that led to thisnew residency.Explaining how the residency came tofruition, and how he feels about thisfirst year, Nicholas said, ‘I contacted Boband Elizabeth Boas, who have sponsoredthe Nicholas Boas Travel Scholarshipssince 1999, and I also spoke with a contactwho is involved with the SainsburyTrusts. Both were very positive about theinstitution, specifically the interdisciplinaryenvironment, and the way the BSRprovides a wonderful window to allthat Rome offers’.‘Oozing Out’ 2012, produced for the December Mostra‘Now that we’ve completed the first year,I can affirm that the combination ofstimulating and interesting conversationswith scholars in many disciplines, combinedwith the opportunity to take inspirationfrom Rome works very well in the BSR.The selection process couldn’t have beenmore professional and thorough, with superbselection committees, and the facilities ofthe British Academy to host the shortlistingwere excellent. The first candidate chosenhas been a big success in the way that shethrived during her residency. Michele andI have stayed in contact, and I’m followingclosely the work she produced as a result ofthe Rome residency’.The 1st Rome Fellow in ContemporaryArt Michele di Menna said about hertime in Rome, ‘My experience in Romewas a non-linear inter-dimensionalsynthesis, time travelling through ancientand modern in a multitude of forms onthe little white BSR bicycle. During thefellowship I fell in love with a wholecity, became a dilettante archaeologist,and conversed with a knight of anancient order, and from all of these newexperiences in Rome I made a lot ofnew work’.

BSR News Summer 2013 / 11Casting a New Bell(thoughts from BSR Assistant Director Jacopo Benci, excerpted from the catalogue of the June exhibition,Spazi Aperti, at the Romanian Academy)Is it indispensable to have a curator?If the curator is one pole in anintellectual exchange, a fellowtraveller, exercising an intelligent andconstructive critical function, thens/he may be indispensable. But woe if itbecame generally accepted that artistsare not able to carry out a project ontheir own.Today there are young artists whofeel disoriented or suspicious whenthey find out that an exhibition ‘is notcurated’. These artists forget that theadvancement of art in the modern erapassed through initiatives realised byartists who were initially shunned andridiculed, as shown by epithets suchas Salon des Refusés, impressionists,Fauves, cubists. Later artists openlydefied misunderstanding, even throughthe names they chose for themselves:Dada, Irascibles, Forma 1, Origine,Independent Group... Only in recenttimes artist groupings began to beassembled and christened by criticsor curators.Is it mandatory that a curator givesa stamp of validation to an artist oran exhibition? The history of the lastcentury in Italy is one of artists whooften had no other validation than theirtireless commitment. Such was the casefor Boccioni, largely self-taught; Burri,a physician who took up painting asa prisoner of war; Fellini, a cartoonistwho thought he’d never be a director;Pinot Gallizio, a pharmacist who beganpainting in his fifties; Ghirri, a surveyorwho questioned the foundations ofphotography...This is the sense of the final episodeof Andrei Tarkovsky’s film AndreiRublev. In early fifteenth-centuryRussia, by order of a grand prince,a new bell has to be cast, but no masterbell-founder can be found. They areall dead or dying. A teenager, Boriska,says that his father taught him thesecrets of bell casting. He is warnedthat he will be put to death if he fails.The Studio is the StreetEvery summer, painter Carole Robb(1979/80 Rome Scholar in Painting)brings twenty students to Rome tospend two months focusing on pleinair painting and drawing on thestreets of Rome. The 2013 Rome ArtProgramme is currently underway,with students from Australia,Canada, Mexico, Great Britain,Turkey and the USA derivinginspiration from the eternal city.Painting in the Pincio GardensThe boy is appointed master bellfounder.He is tireless, hard on himselfand fellow workers, and takes noadvice from experienced artisans.When the bell is finally cast, it ringsbeautifully, bringing joy to the entirecommunity. Then Andrei Rublev, amonk and icon painter, finds Boriskalying in the mud, crying. His father,the boy confesses, never taught himthe secret. Boriska merely followedhis instinct, reinventing the art of bellcasting as he went along.Boriska is the artist who discoversthings through experience, the artist asa risk-taker, who rises to the occasionand is able to return to the beginningto start afresh.This is my hope and wish for SpaziAperti.

12 / BSR News Summer 2013SymbiosisSainsbury Scholar in Painting and Sculpture Candida Powell-Williams and Abbey Scholar in Painting Katy Kirbach share muchmore than meals at the BSR. Both attended the Slade School of FineArt, and after both received their Master’s in 2011 (Katy from RoyalAcademy Schools and Candida from the Royal College of Art), theirprofessional lives diverted, but they became roommates in London.Each had no idea that the other had applied for a BSR residency,but they found themselves roommates once again at the BSR thisyear. We caught up with them during the June Mostra, and hereis what they had to say:Katy and CandidaAbout their sharedbackground:KK: ‘Candida was one year behindme at the Slade. We were in differentdepartments, but shared the samefriends. Because the Slade was part ofUCL, there was a lot of crossover notonly between departments within theSlade, but within the wider university.This in some ways prepared Candidaand I for the cross-disciplinary aspectsof life at the BSR’.CPW: ‘I didn’t know Katy had alsoapplied for the BSR; we actually foundout during the interviews in London.We went for coffee after my interview,and I was thrilled (and a little jealous)for Katy, as she had already beenawarded the Abbey scholarship.I was convinced that I hadn’t got theSainsbury. Three hours later, GillClark called to offer me the residency.I immediately called Katy to tell herthat I was going to live with her again,but this time in Rome’!Why the BSR?KK: ‘For artists, being given thetime, space and support to focus onyour work is a unique opportunity,and to have Rome at your fingertipsis phenomenal. I initially focussedon decorative influences that rangedfrom Missoni textiles to Cosmati floormosaics. Living and working in Romeover nine months invariably allowedunexpected influences to infiltrate mypractice. The paintings that I producedhere have given preference to physical,material processes, accident and chance,as well as being informed by samples oftextiles and upholstery fabrics found inlocal markets’.CPW: ‘I came to Rome with aspecific project; I was looking forsome narratives that I could rework,translate and manipulate. I invitedthe academic scholars to share anyparticularly absurd narratives that theycame across. I have now accumulatedan archive of roughly forty narratives,initially with the intention of choosingjust one to reappropriate and use formy own devices. However, I becamemore interested in the quantity ofbizarre narratives, from elephants, tothrones that were thought to be toilets,or toilets thought to be thrones, andfemale popes’.Their relationship andthe influence of the BSRcommunityKK: ‘Coming here made me realisethat there is a shared approach tomaking which might stem from ourtime at the Slade. This surprised usbecause we haven’t shared a studiofor four years’.CPW: ‘This has of course developedhere, for instance I’ve been exploringa more painterly approach to surfaces,influenced by Katy and some of theother artists. We’ve also noticed asimilar colour palette over the courseof the year’.KK: ‘One day I may be focusing ona particular range of colours, and I’llwalk into Candida’s studio and realisethat it’s because of the clothes she’swearing’!CPW: ‘Beyond the colour palettewe’ve also noticed coincidental overlapsamongst lots of the artists here’.KK: ‘This has happened naturallybetween living and working in thesame corridor. It has been particularlyexciting getting to know artists fromcircles beyond our own’.Candida and Katy’s story is notuncommon to the BSR, but it isparticularly special because of theircommon educational and personalhistory. Their shared time at theBSR has permanently cemented theirrelationship on multiple levels, andwe’ll watch each of their future pathswith much anticipation.

BSR News Summer 2013 / 13Architecture2012/13 Rome Prize Winnerheaded to AmericaTao Sule-DuFour has been awardeda fellowship at The University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee School ofArchitecture & Urban Planning. Thefellowship is part of the University’s‘Advancing Contemporary Theories’,which will enable Tao to investigatehis yearlong research project,‘Fabricating Wilderness: ContemporaryArchitecture and the Return to Nature’.Congratulations, Tao!Tao’s piece for the March Mostra, whichwas also included in Spazi Aperti at theRomanian Academy in JunePhoto credit Claudio Abate‘Urban Landscapes-Indian Case Studies’ ArchitectureProgramme Concludes with Spectacular LectureOn 5 February, the Sainsbury LectureTheatre was packed with a widerange of professionals from all overRome for the concluding event of the2012/13 BSR Architecture Programme,curated by Marina Engel. RahulMehrotra, Professor of Urban Designand Planning at Harvard UniversityGraduate School of Design, presentednew research on what he calls the‘Kinetic City’, which grapples withthe interaction between formal andinformal urbanism. The audience wasmesmerized by descriptions of practicalideas for new forms of architectureand urban planning within the contextof informal growth, including houses,factories and institutional buildingsaround Mumbai as well as a socialhousing project for 100 elephants andtheir caretakers in Jaipur. A podcastof the lecture is on the BSR website,www.bsr.ac/research/architecture.A Tazia procession where building models in paper are carried in processionsthrough the cityPhoto courtesy of Adnan Goga‘Architecture and theCreative Processes’The 2013-15 BSR ArchitectureProgramme is the most ambitiousto date, and it is the firstprogramme to unite a variety ofdisciplines, with collaborationsbetween architects and artists,composers, film directors andsociologists. A series of lectures,exhibitions and concerts, it is alsothe first programme to consider thecreative process itself, as well as thework inspired by it. All events willbe held at the Royal College of Artin London as well as at the BSR,and we are actively searching forfinancial support.

14 / BSR News Summer 2013Library/ArchiveSpring 2013 has certainly been a ‘time of sowing’ in the Library.We have started a host of new ventures, three of which are describedbelow. As is always the case, our ability to complete these initiativesrelies entirely on support from private donors. We are grateful tohave received very generous support this year, which will enable usnot only to finish the retrospective conversion, but also to progresswith the following projects.Marshall Collection Pilot Project StartedA three month pilot projectrelating to the life and work ofJohn Marshall (1862-1928), themain purchasing agent in Italy forclassical antiquities, and EdwardPerry Warren (1860-1928), began inMay. This preparatory research willresult in a multi-national and multiinstitutionalproposal to study andreunite virtually all material relatingto their partnership, which was amajor influence in the collectingof Roman art, especially by theMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston andthe Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York.Statue of an ephebe – detail, from theMarshall collectionGuido in a rare moment looking upfrom his researchGuido Petruccioli (MPhil andDPhil, Classical Archaeology,Oxford) has accepted the postof BSR Research Fellow, andhe is currently identifying areasof research and studying thecollections, after which he willprepare a full proposal which willinclude the Ashmolean, the BritishMuseum, the Metropolitan Museumof Art, New York and the Museumof Fine Arts, Boston.Parker CollectionDigitization Has BegunThe John Henry Parker collectioncame to the BSR Library in the1930s from the British and AmericanArchaeological Society of Rome, whichwas founded by Parker in 1865, shortlybefore he left Rome to become Keeperof the Ashmolean. Parker’s collectiondocumenting archaeological sitesthrough professional photographicimages is universally acknowledgedas an important contribution to thestudy of Roman antiquity. Theseextraordinary images depict Romeand its ancient remains still intact,before the enormous urban changethat the city was to undergo just afew years later.The BSR’s collection is unique,in that it is the first anywhere to bemade available online. Cataloguingis complete, and the process ofdigitization has begun, with theexpectation that over one third of theBSR’s collection of 2,430 images willbe online by autumn 2013. We havebeen able to progress this far thanksto support from generous donors,but we will need an additional £5,000to complete the project.BSR Archivist Alessandra Giovencowas invited to present her work onthe Parker Collection at the InstitutNational d’Histoire de l’Art on 17June. Jean-Philippe Garric, Director ofthe Research Department, organiseda preliminary conference on thecollection and the different sets housedin various institutions in Rome andabroad, including the INHA. Thepublication of the BSR images onlinewas very much appreciated by theaudience and the invitees, as it opens upnew opportunities in the research fieldand encourages closer collaborationbetween European institutions.

BSR News Summer 2013 / 15Ashby in SardiniaFollowing the success of theThomas Ashby in Abruzzoproject, work has begun on hisphotographs of Sardinia, whichAshby visited five times, between1908 and 1913. Like those ofAbruzzo, these photos portraycostumes, festivals and processions,thus providing rich sociological,sociocultural and anthropologicaldocumentation of early twentiethcentury life on the island – aswell as documenting nearly everyprehistoric site, including punictombs that were turned intodwellings by the local population.An exhibition is planned for May2014 at the BSR, after which itwill travel around Sardinia forthe summer, hopefully coming tothe UK sometime in the future.We would like to produce anEnglish edition of the cataloguebut we need to find £10,000 for thetranslation and production costs.More Personal Discoveriesin the ArchiveJane Wellesley is writing a book abouther grandmother, the poet DorothyWellesley, who with her husbandLord Gerald Wellesley, lived in Romeduring WWI. She found out that hergrandparents knew Eugenie Strong,so in addition to researching Strong’sarchive at Girton College, she wroteto Valerie Scott. Looking through theAnnual Reports from 1914-18, Valeriediscovered references to the Wellesleys,including Lord Gerald’s involvement,through his role at the British Embassy,in an official visit to the BSR. So Janecame to the BSR in May to dig a littledeeper, and she found mention of a1916 gift of furniture, including twoseventeenth-century chairs, shown ina photograph of the then new library.She was intrigued to discover if theywere still in the BSR, and was thrilledwhen Valerie located them outside theDirector’s office. After the war, GeraldWellesley trained as an architect, andin 1943, onthe death ofhis nephewat the SalernoLandings, hebecame the7th Duke ofWellington.Jane’s father,the 97 yearold8th Duke,was born inJane found the chairs... Rome in 1915.1953/54 Bernard Webb Scholar inArchitecture Neil Macfadyen and1954 Rome Scholar in Painting DianaCumming visited the BSR this springafter more than half a century. Valerielocated their wedding photo in theArchive, prompting them to recall howtheir lifelong union began at the BSR.Diana says:‘There was a full moon on the night whenI travelled (by train) to Rome, so I gazedat the landscape all night, and was veryexcited. I arrived at the British Schoolafter the formal dinner had started andfound myself sitting between Sir Ericand Lady Macfadyen (Neil’s parents),whom I had not met before. Then I metNeil, whom I had previously brieflyencountered in London. My studio seemedvery unlike Rome, a dreary battleshipgrey. Anna Fazzari gave permission for itto be repainted as long as I did the work,and Neil quickly offered his services. Neilclimbed the ladder, and before the workwas completed, we had fallen in love,and were married two years later’.Neil’s version:‘I, too, had a full moon (and a fair wind)on the night that I crossed the channelfrom Lymington on my single-handedjourney to the Tiber mouth at Fiumicino,where I sold the boat and took up myBernard Webb scholarship. I overlappedin Italy with Diana for a few monthsat the BSR, and returned when she hadfinished her residency to marry her.‘We had two weddings, the firstin Michelangelo’s Library on theCampidoglio, and the following day in theC of E All Saints Church in Via Babuino.The British School gave us a sumptuousreception in the Cortile and kindly iceda slab of Selfridges fruit cake, which Ihad brought out in my little second handHillman coupe. We then crammed the carwith Diana’s paintings and possessions andhoneymooned home via Venice and Paris(of course)!‘We were delighted this year to find theBSR essentially unchanged after 57 years.Wonderful hospitality, full of interestingpeople and going stronger than ever!We both want to thank Christopher andSusan and all the staff for everythingthey did to make our short stay such ahappy one’.Neil and Diana’s wedding in theCampidoglio, with Domestic BursarBruno Bonelli and Director’s SecretaryAnna Fazzari

16 / BSR News Summer 2013ArchaeologyJanuary 2013 began with a remarkable week of archaeology and heritage management. Simon Keayand Stephen Kay attended the final session of the RadioPast project in Ghent. This is a collaborativeproject to develop integrated non-destructive approaches for complex archaeological sites. At the sametime, Christopher Smith delivered a lecture, Saving the City: The Preservation and Conservation of Romefrom Antiquity to the Present Day, at the Bartlett Centre for Sustainable Heritage in UCL.Back at the BSR, a conference tolaunch the publication of Veii. TheHistorical Topography of the AncientCity. A Restudy of John Ward Perkins’Survey (Archaeological Monographsof the British School at Rome, editedby R. Cascino, H. Di Giuseppe, andH. Patterson), brought together all thecurrent projects at Veii for the firsttime. This hugely successful eventalso inaugurated a new partnership tostudy the Ager Veientanus, involvingCNR and La Sapienza, the BSR, andthe Comune and Superintendencies ofRome and Etruria Meridionale, andbuilds on a strengthening collaborationwith the Villa Giulia Museum. Itwas attended by Dottore L. Malnati,Director General of the Ministry ofBeni Culturali.The next event was a book launchfor Tra Memoria Dell’Antico e IdentitàCulturale. Tempi e Protagonisti DellaScoperta Dei Monti Lepini, publishedby Espera and edited by MargheritaCancellieri, Francesco Maria Cifarelli,Domenico Palombi and StefaniaQuilici Gigli. One of the key sites isSegni, where the BSR has had a highlysuccessful first season.The following day, the BSR hosteda workshop entitled The Concept,Chronology and Construction of TrajanicBuildings at Portus, Ostia and Rome,the first major attempt to understandTrajan’s building programme.Alongside the workshop, discussionscontinued with the Superintendencyof Rome and Ostia and the EcoleFrançaise de Rome for a multi-periodstudy of the Tiber Delta, leading to amajor conference later this year andfuture grant applications.The Rickman Memorial Lecturerthis year was Ufuk Kocabas ofIstanbul University’s Department ofConservation of Marine ArchaeologicalObjects. Professor Kocabas’ accountof The Theodosian Harbour and YenikapıByzantine Shipwrecks Excavation, inIstanbul, was a stunning expositionof the remarkable discovery of aharbour with no fewer than thirtysixshipwrecks, dating from the earlyByzantine period to the tenthcentury AD.This extraordinary range of activitydemonstrates the BSR’s capacity towork across the regions of Italy andthe Mediterranean, strengthening ourconnections with superintendenciesand the support we receive from theMinistry of Culture for our work, aswell as underscoring our prominentposition among foreign academies inRome. The work of this one weekis expected to generate two editedbooks, at least three collaborative grantapplications for significant projects,and potentially two exhibitions.Three BSR Directors came together on 24 January toparticipate in a major conference exploring the rolethe media plays in cultural heritage management, cosponsoredby the BSR, the Herculaneum ConservationProject and RAI TV. The then Minister of Culture,Lorenzo Ornaghi, opened the event, singling outHerculaneum as a case study in conservation practice.The roundtable also included BBC Director Nigel Ellis,who referred to successes such as Restoration, and A Historyof the World in One Hundred Objects, and there was alsomuch discussion of the National Trust and its sister bodyin Italy, FAI.Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Lorenzo Ornaghi,Christopher Smith and Richard Hodges

BSR News Summer 2013 / 17The ninfeo in its current stateSegni UpdateThe Segni Project continues to moveforward at a rapid pace. The Comunedi Segni secured funding to purchasea Roman ninfeo designed by thearchitect Q. Mutius, and the teamwill laser scan the entire structurethis summer, producing an accurate3D model which will help with theconservation and preservation plans.On 20 April, Christopher Smithpresented the research plan to anaudience of over 300 people in Segni,with significant Italian press coverage.Local community support has beensignificant, in excess of £20,000, butan additional £5,000 is needed for thesummer excavations. Momentum isbuilding on this project, with the nextphase of excavations in Piazza SantaMaria and Prato Felici due to beginin July.Archaeology Team Receive Major GrantIn February, the Camerone receiveda very generous grant from theRoger De Haan Charitable Trust.This will provide support for one ofthe Geophysical Research Assistantpositions for the next three years,and equally important, provides thearchaeology team with their firsteverindependent research budget.Numerous new research projects areunderway, many of which wouldnot have been possible without thisgrant.Geophysical Research Assistants,Alice James and Matthew Berry

18 / BSR News Summer 2013On a Personal NotePhoto courtesy of Elisabeth D’AmicoElly Murkett looks to a new adventure…Elly always has a camera on hand duringtravels around ItalyFor the past ten years, EleanorMurkett has been Director’s Assistantand Project Manager, workingwith Andrew Wallace-Hadrill andChristopher Smith. Elly administersthe City of Rome Course and theAncient Rome Summer School, andshe produces the Annual Review. She isthe secretary for the BSR Council, andis currently overseeing the creation ofa new visual identity for the BSR.Stefania Peterlini New BSR Permissions OfficerWe are very pleased to announce thatStefania Peterlini has assumed therole of Permissions Officer at the BSR.Stefania has a very long history withthe BSR, on both a professional andpersonal level. She has worked in theBSR Library since 2001 as Libraryand Photographic Archive Assistant.She is also the daughter of GeraldineWellington, who retired two yearsago after nearly two decades as ourResidence Manager. She assumedMaria Pia Malvezzi’s role on 1 Aprilafter a smooth transition seamlesslymanaged by BSR Archivist AlessandraGiovenco.After a decade of living in Rome,Elly has decided that it is time for anew chapter, and is planning to spendthe autumn investigating variousopportunities in Europe, and spendsome time in France. Travel has alwaysbeen important to Elly, and she is verymuch looking forward to taking a bitof time to just wander and explore,before deciding upon where the nextchapter will see her live and work.Elly is an amateur travel photographerwhose work has appeared in variousexhibitions around Rome. She is alsoa dedicated cyclist, with annual cyclingholidays providing much of herphotographic inspiration.Elly’s contribution to the BSR hasbeen inestimable, and she will be muchmissed in the office corridor whenOctober arrives and she embarks onher next adventure.We are tremendously grateful for hercontribution to the BSR communityover the past decade, and we wish herall the best – and safe travels!Stefania discussing a permesso withHugh Last Fellow Barbara BorgDavid Bryn Whitehouse(1941-2013)February saw the passing of formerBSR Director David Whitehouse.David was Rome Scholar inMedieval Studies in the mid-1960s,and in 1973 he spent a year inKabul as the director of the BritishInstitute of Afghan Studies beforebeing appointed director of theBSR in 1974. From then until1984, he played an active role inmedieval excavations throughoutItaly, overseeing excavations atthe ancient Etruscan town ofTuscania, he undertook projects atGubbio, Otranto and Anguillara,co-directed (with CharlesMcLendon) excavations at theBenedictine Abbey of Farfa andhe led a major excavation of theSchola Praeconum at the foot ofthe Palatine Hill.In 1984 David went to the CorningMuseum of Glass, where hespent the remainder of his career,retiring in 2011. He is credited withtransforming the CMG duringhis tenure as Executive Director,overseeing a major renovationand expansion programme anddoubling the Museum’s holdings.He also established a professionalglassmaking studio, which isconsidered today one of the verybest in worldwide glass education.David published over 500 books,papers, articles and monographs,including three volumes on RomanGlass in the Corning Museum. Hislast book, Glass: A Short History, waspublished last year. His influenceon the professions of medievalarchaeology and glass studies wasprofound, and he is sadly missed.

BSR News Summer 2013 / 19Membership and DevelopmentAs we begin our third year, thedevelopment programme goesfrom strength to strength. BSRmembership is at an all-timehigh, and we are increasinglyreceiving significant supportfrom a variety of individualsand institutions. The growththat we are seeing has faroutperformed the UK ‘norm’for comparable institutionsexpanding their base of privatesupport to bolster publicfunding. If you haven’t already,please do consider becoming aMember of the BSR, and jointhis growing community whichis invaluable to the institution.Inaugural Ashby Society WeekendThe first Ashby Society Weekend washeld in Rome on 14-17 March, witha packed calendar of events, specialsite visits and social gatherings. Thesegenerous donors contributed over£28,000 to the BSR this past year,providing critical unrestricted incometo move our institution forward onmany fronts. The Ashby Weekendis an opportunity for Members totake part in the daily life of the BSR,spend time with artists and scholars,and enjoy offsite expeditions toareas not normally accessible to thegeneral public. Our warmest thanksgo to Enrico Floridi for his gracioushospitality in Otricoli, and to SusanWalker, for her guided expeditionsfor the group. The Ashby SocietyDinner Meeting will be held at the SirJohn Soane’s Museum in London on17 September. If you are interested inbecoming a Member, please contactMary Ellen Mathewson, 020 7969 5247,or development@bsrome.it.Our continued efforts to raisethe BSR’s profile in the UK andabroad are producing wonderfulresults. The BSR Facebookpage now has over 2,500 friends,and we enjoy a lively on-goingTwitter feed. We need yourhelp to continue to build ouronline presence, so please sendnews of career moves, awards,publications and exhibitionsto Natalie Arrowsmith in Rome,n.arrowsmith@bsrome.it.On the way to the forum with expertteaching from the DirectorExploring the rare book collectionValerie Scott demonstrates the digitalcollections website that allows for detailedresearch of prints and engravings fromrare booksOn the Via Flaminia in OtricoliBSR NewsPrinted on 130gsm matt coated(comprising 100% recycled content)using vegetable-based ink.Printed by: Berforts Information Press01865 882588Designed by: Touchmedia 01242 519914Cover Image June in the Directors Garden

The British School at RomeVia Gramsci 6100197 Rome, ItalyTel: +39 06 3264939Fax: +39 06 3221201info@bsrome.itwww.bsr.ac.ukLondon OfficeThe BSR at The British Academy10 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5AH