MICROFILM OF

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Papers of the Society of Dilettanti (1736-1967)

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LIST OF CONTENTS OF REELS

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INTRODUCTION

Papers of the Society of Dilettanti (1736-1967)

This was originally a Society of young noblemen and gentlemen who had visited Italy and gone on the Grand Tour. It started purely as a social club, but came to play a prominent part in matters of taste, particularly in the study of antique art. From 1732 members met regularly, and had varied serious interests. These included the architectural and archaeological remains of Greece, the Near East and Italy, and significantly, from the 1750’s, they promoted an English Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which ultimately led to the formation of the Royal Academy.

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Independently of Winckelmann, and before his posthumous fame, they financed a succession of expeditions and published the results in various works, including The Antiquities of Athens and Ionian Antiquities that laid the foundations of the serious and systematic study of the Classical antiquities. They stimulated Lessing and Goethe, and contributed powerfully to the Classical revival in the late 18^th century. The Department of Antiquities in the British Museum owes many of its finest, and nearly all its earliest treasures to the discernment, enthusiasm and public spirit of members of the Society. In particular collections were provided by, among others, Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803), Charles Townley (1737-1805, Sir Richard Colt Hoare (1758-1838), and the 4^th Earl of Aberdeen (1784-1860)

From their earliest meetings they appointed an official painter, among whom were Knapton (the first one), Reynolds, Leighton, Sargent, etc.

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These papers consist of Minute Books from 1736, Manuscript Letter Books from 1736-1866, and General Papers, Accounts, etc. The records provide an important record of intellectual life in the 18^th-19^th centuries.

Contents

h h h h h h h h h h MINUTE BOOKS h h h h h h hh h hh

h h h h h h h DILETTANTI SOCIETY PAPERS h h h h h h

2 Miscellaneous Boxes of Correspondence 1732-1900

Reel 9: Box 1

Reel 10: Box 2

Reel 11: Miscellaneous Accounts Volumes, etc. 1732-1900

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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM WORLD MICROFILMS—Prices on request

Royal Commonwealth Society. Slave Trade Book and Pamphlet Collection 1680-1865

21 reels 35 mm. Positive microfilm Ref. RCS

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St. George’s Hospital, Hyde Park Corner. Minutes of the Board of Governors 1733-1888

40 reels 35 mm. Positive microfilm Ref. SGH

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Archives of the French Protestant Church, 1560-1889

37 reels 35 mm. Positive microfilm Ref. FPC

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