“Dull is the eye that will not weep to see thy walls defaced…by British hands”
Lord Bryon
The Elgin Marbles are also known as the Parthenon Marbles, if you are Greek or sympathetic to their cause. At the time Lord Elgin visited the temple it was in the hands of the Ottoman Empire. They signed a document, which depending on the translation, may have allowed Elgin and his team to examine the site and remove samples. Even a generous interpretation of this agreement may not have expected half of the ornate Parthenon facade to whisked off to Britain. The so-called samples were sold to Parliament, for inclusion in the British Museum, for $35,000 in 1816. The charter of the Museum forbids the disposal of items in the collection, and hence a bitter stalemate with Greece has developed in modern times. Greece however, has had a hand in authoring the EU’s Brexit negotiating document, that calls for “all unlawfully removed artefacts” in the UK, to be returned. Boris may have lost his marbles. #alwayscheckthepaperwork #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 