The 19th Trendall Lecture will be given by Professor Tyler Jo Smith, Associate Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Virginia, USA, will present the lecture titled ‘More Celebrated than Actually Known: Sir John Soane’s Greek Vases. This lecture is hosted by the A.D. Trendall Research Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies at La Trobe University.

Sir John Soane (1753–1837) launched his career as an antiquities collector with the purchase of a large red-figure vase manufactured in southern Italy during the 4th century BC. Known as the Cawdor Vase, the monumental vessel is arguably the first object among numerous Classical antiquities on show to greet visitors to Sir John Soane’s Museum at no. 13 Lincoln Inn’s Fields, London. When we think of Soane today, however, we do not readily associate him with ancient vases. Yet a number of the vases he acquired, among them Greek, South Italian, Hellenistic and Roman examples, are currently on display in his eclectic London house-museum. Many continue to occupy the exact same spots they held at the time of his death. This lecture introduces the Greek vase collection of Sir John Soane, summarizing its importance both in the past and today. It presents background about Soane, the collection and how it was acquired; information about Soane’s Grand Tour; the role of the vases for Soane as collector, and architect and  teacher; past and current research on the vases; and, finally, a detailed look at the Cawdor Vase, the largest and most significant vessel he acquired.

Date: 6-8pm, Thursday 28 May 2020

Venue: Hellenic Museum, 280 William Street, Melbourne.

It is a free event but please book seats by following this link.

Website: http://www.humanities.org.au/Events/Lectures/Trendall.aspx