At the Gallerie d'Italia in Naples an exhibition on William Hamilton, an influential figure in 18th-century European culture

From Oct. 25, 2024 to March 2, 2025, the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples is dedicating its fall exhibition to William Hamilton (Henley-on-Thames, 1730 - London, 1803), HM British ambassador to the court of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon and his consort Maria Carolina of Habsburg, as well as diplomat, antiquarian and volcanologist. Hamilton found in the “Enlightened” Naples of the second half of the 18th century an ideal environment to cultivate and deepen his great passions:antiquity and the sciences.

The cadet son of Lord Archibald Hamilton, the “milk brother” of King George III of England, endowed with a solid cultural education and a very rich network of social relations, William Hamilton moved to Naples as British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples in 1764, together with his first wife Catherine Barlow. In the Bourbon capital, where he remained until 1798-when French troops arrived-he was able to cultivate his greatest passions: Greco-Roman antiquities, of which he became one of the greatest collectors of all time, the study in scientific terms of the eruptions of Vesuvius, collecting ancient and contemporary paintings, the sea and hunting. His residences filled with works of art, Villa Emma in Posillipo, Villa Angelica near Torre del Greco and especially Palazzo Sessa in Pizzofalcone with its view of the gulf, were for more than 30 years the theaters of a refined and cosmopolitan worldliness. His publishing ventures, his relationships with Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina - cultivated also thanks to his second wife Emma - and with great international travelers, such as Goethe, Mozart, William Beckford or Russia’s Tsar Paul I, made him one of the most influential figures in eighteenth-century European culture, as he was recognized by prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of London.

Sections of the exhibition will highlight Hamilton’s deep interest in volcanology, landscape painting, music and collecting, as well as the role he played in the society and social life of Naples at the time, made even more famous by the sometimes legendary figure of Lady Emma Hamilton. In reevaluating and celebrating the human, political and intellectual story of a man who was one of the most significant protagonists of his time, the exhibition will also explore the rich cultural and artistic exchanges between Italy and the United Kingdom during a crucial period in European history.

The Sir William and Lady Hamilton exhibition has the support of the Embassy of Italy in the United Kingdom as well as the support of the British Embassy in Rome and boasts the presence on the Scientific Committee of Carlo Knight and Kim Sloan, curators of the Vases and Volcanoes exhibition dedicated to Hamilton in 1996 by the British Museum, and Aidan Weston-Lewis, Chief Curator, European Art at the National Galleries of Scotland.

For info: https://gallerieditalia.com/it/napoli/

At the Gallerie d'Italia in Naples an exhibition on William Hamilton, an influential figure in 18th-century European culture

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.