FRANCIS BEDFORD (1815-94)
Portions of the Frieze of the Parthenon [Athens, Greece]
31 May 1862RCIN 2701021
The photograph shows marble blocks from the frieze that ran around all four sides of the Parthenon. The frieze was sculpted probably between 438 and 432 BC. In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin, removed about half of the surviving marble blocks from the Parthenon. In 1816 they ended up in the British Museum. The head of the Prince’s party, Robert Bruce, was the younger son of the seventh Earl. Bedford photographed several of the blocks which remained in Athens.
Acquired by the Prince of Wales, 1862