A View of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece. Henry Byam Martin (British, 1803 - 1865) 1835 This large and beautifully preserved sheet bears testament to the deep interest in Greek culture among nineteenth-century British aristocrats. While the vogue for travel was for many a leisure activity, for Henry Byam Martin it was part of his career as a member of the British Royal Navy. While relatively little is known about Martin, by 1827 he had risen to the rank of Captain, and a year after he made this watercolor he was given command of HMS Carysfort. At the time much of the role of naval officers was

A View of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece. Henry Byam Martin (British, 1803 - 1865) 1835 This large and beautifully preserved sheet bears testament to the deep interest in Greek culture among nineteenth-century British aristocrats. While the vogue for travel was for many a leisure activity, for Henry Byam Martin it was part of his career as a member of the British Royal Navy. While relatively little is known about Martin, by 1827 he had risen to the rank of Captain, and a year after he made this watercolor he was given command of HMS Carysfort. At the time much of the role of naval officers was the gathering of intelligence to further the causes of the British Empire, and skill in draftsmanship was a useful additional skill. In this view taken from the Hill of the Muses, Holland silhouettes the monument against the sky while rendering the dramatic surrounding topography. Skillfully leaving the white of the paper for the road that arcs across the hill straight ahead, traveled by several horses and riders, he closed the bottom of the composition with a rocky foreground and local inhabitants. Recto, lower right, in brown ink (by the artist): "From ½ way up the museum hill / 21st July 35"

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