539 - Two engravings based on the collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman antiquities in William Hamilton’s collection: “The Return of Hephaestus to Olympus, Guided by Dionysus” and “The Descent of Persephone into the Underworld,” taken from the first Florentine edition of “Peintures de vases antiques de la collection de Son Excellence M. Le Chevalier Hamilton,” published by the Société Calcographique between 1800 and 1803 —an edition that documented Hamilton’s second collection of vases, originally published by the German painter, draftsman, and engraver Johan Tischbein—, characterized on this occasion by its terracotta-background prints, printed in black directly onto the colored ground. Passe-partout opening dimensions: 35 x 56 and 30 x 42.5 cm Total dimensions with frame: 63 x 84 and 58 x 72 cm Sir William Hamilton (1730–1803) was a British diplomat stationed in Naples and one of the great collectors of classical antiquities of the 18th century. Having assembled an extraordinary collection of Greek ceramics recovered primarily in southern Italy, Hamilton was also a major disseminator of his findings through the publication of books of engravings, originally in 1767 and 1795, later reprinted in various European editions throughout the 19th century, playing a central role in the development of neoclassical taste on the European continent by promoting the iconography of classical antiquity through widely circulated engravings.