Messene. © Benaki Museum, Athens
The Peloponnese Drawings
Lear made 207 dated drawings during his travels in the Peloponnese from 8 March 1849, reaching Athens on 3 April, making side trips to the island of Aegina and the temple of Sounion and finally from 9 April travelling north of the Gulf of Corinth to Mount Parnassus and Delphi, before returning to Patras in the Peloponnese by ship on 20 April. Many of these drawings are shown below in chronological order of the journey.
The locations of a large number of these drawings are known, particularly because three institutions obtained large numbers in the years after their original recipients (gifted or bequeathed by Lear himself) disposed of them in 1929. The Gennadius Library in Athens gained a large number by purchase from a London dealer, the Benaki Museum also in Athens received their collection by gifts, and finally the Houghton Library of Harvard University in the United States retains the largest holding of all Lear's drawings as the result of gifts by two collectors in the mid 20th century.
This website is publishing many of these drawings for the first time, although increasingly the websites of institutions give access to images. The list below shows the public institutions holding 144 of the Peloponnese drawings, with links to the images where they exist (click on names in bold for link)
- Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (2)
- Athens City Museum, Greece (1)
- Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece (36)
- Birmingham Art Gallery, UK (1)
- British Museum, London, UK (1)
- National Gallery of Canada (1)
- The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, UK (1)
- The Gennadius Library, Athens, Greece (46)
- Government Art Collection, UK (2)
- The Higgins, Bedford, UK (1)
- Houghton Library, Harvard University, US (50)
- National Galleries of Scotland, UK (1)
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK (1)
I am grateful to those institutions whose images I have selected for allowing reproduction on this site either directly or by a link. A small number of images have also come through auction houses or art dealers, for which I am grateful. All are acknowledged under the image itself.
The pictures below are arranged chronologically through Lear's journey, and the Map tab (once expanded into Google maps) may be a useful guide to the route of the journey with each alphabetic section detailing place names of the point reached. The location heading after the date above each picture below is how Lear described it on his studio list. The location below the picture uses the wording Lear inscribed on the drawing itself.
The Lear numbers to the right of each date and location refer to Lear's own numbers for each drawing listed under the Drawings in Detail tab and so give a quick reference to see further details on each image - its size and ownership and auction and exhibition history.
The pictures below are arranged chronologically through Lear's journey, and the Map tab (once expanded into Google maps) may be a useful guide to the route of the journey with each alphabetic section detailing place names of the point reached. The location heading after the date above each picture below is how Lear described it on his studio list. The location below the picture uses the wording Lear inscribed on the drawing itself.
The Lear numbers to the right of each date and location refer to Lear's own numbers for each drawing listed under the Drawings in Detail tab and so give a quick reference to see further details on each image - its size and ownership and auction and exhibition history.
9 March 1849 - near Vostizza (modern Aigio) Lear 2
Gulf of Corinth - near Vostyza.
Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
10 March 1849 - Megaspelion monastery Lear 5B
Megaspelion. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
11 March 1849 - Olonos (near Kalavryta) Lear 10
Near Kalavryta. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
12 March 1849 - Between Kalavryta and Lycouria Lear 13
Between Kalavryta and Lycoria.
pga_ms_typ_55_26_672 Houghton Library, Harvard University
13 March 1849 - Lago di Phonia Lear 15
Lake of Phonia. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
14 March 1849 - Phonia Lear 20
Phonia. pga_ms_typ_55_26_674 Houghton Library, Harvard University
14 March 1849 - Lividhi Lear 23
Near Livadi. pga_ms_typ_55_11_675 Houghton Library, Harvard University
15 March 1849 - Mantinea Lear 25
Mantinea. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
15 March 1849 - Tripolizza Lear 28
Tripolizza. pga_ms_typ_55_26_676 Houghton Library, Harvard University
16 March 1849 - Karytena Lear 32
Karytena. pga_ms_typ_55_26_678 Houghton Library, Harvard University
17 March 1849 - Karytena Lear 33
Karytena. pga_ms_typ_55_11_679 Houghton Library, Harvard University
17 March 1849 - Karytena Lear 34
Karytena. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
17 March 1849 - Near Andryzena (click for link) Lear 37
18 March 1849 - Bassae Lear 40
Bassae. © Benaki Museum, Athens
18 March 1849 - Bassae Lear 41
Bassae. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
18 March 1849 - Bassae Lear 42
Bassae. Courtesy of The Trustees of the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery (The Higgins, Bedford)
18 March 1849 - Phigaleia (click for link) (click for link) Lear 45
19 March 1849 - Ithome (near Kostantino) Lear 46
near Kostantini © Benaki Museum, Athens
20 March 1849 - Ithome Lear 47
Mt Ithome from near Kostantino, and detail. © Benaki Museum, Athens
20 March 1849 - Messene Lear 50
Messene. © Benaki Museum, Athens
21 March 1849 - Mt Ithome Lear 54
Monastery of Vurkano Mt Ithome. © Benaki Museum, Athens
21 March 1849 - From Ithome Lear 55
On Mt Ithome. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
21 March 1849 - Ithome Lear 56
Mt Ithome. © Benaki Museum, Athens
21 March 1849 - Derveni Lear 58
Derveni. pga_ms_typ_55_26_685 Houghton Library, Harvard University
22 March 1849 - Londari Lear 60
Leondari. © Benaki Museum, Athens
23 March 1849 - Kalyvea of Sparta Lear 64
Near the Kalyvea below Taygetus. © Benaki Museum, Athens
23 March 1849 - Sparta Lear 65
Sparta. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
23 March 1849 - Sparta Lear 68
Sparta. © Benaki Museum, Athens
24 March 1849 - Mistra Lear 69
Mistra. © Benaki Museum, Athens
24 March 1849 - Mistra Lear 71
Mistra. © Benaki Museum, Athens
24 March 1849 - Mistra church Lear 72
Mistra. © Benaki Museum, Athens
Mistra church by Lear's companion, Franklin Lushington. © Benaki Museum, Athens
24 March 1849 - Mistra Lear 73
Mistra. © Benaki Museum, Athens
24 March 1849 - Mistra Lear 74
Mistra. © Benaki Museum, Athens
25 March 1849 - Near Vourlia Lear 80
Near Vourlia. pga_ms_typ_55_26_689 Houghton Library, Harvard University
27 March 1849 - Argos Lear 88
Argos. © Benaki Museum, Athens
28 March 1849 - Tiryns Lear 91
Tiryns (Hercules in the 4 ground). pga_ms_typ_55_26_692 Houghton Library, Harvard University
31 March 1849 - Mycaena Lear 96
Mycenae. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
31 March 1849 - Mycaene Lear 97
Plain of Argos from Mycenae. © Benaki Museum, Athens
31 March 1849 - Nemea (click for link >) artcollection.culture.gov.uk/artwork/9583/ Lear 99
31 March 1849 - Nemea Lear 101
Nemea. © Benaki Museum, Athens
Nemea by Lear's companion, Franklin Lushington. © Benaki Museum, Athens
1 April 1849 - Corinth Lear 106
Corinth. © Benaki Museum, Athens
1 April 1849 - Corinth Lear 107
Corinth. © Benaki Museum, Athens
1 April 1949 - Corinth Lear 108
Corinth. pga_ms_typ_55_26_697 Houghton Library, Harvard University
1 April 1849 - Corinth Lear 109
Corinth. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
2 April 1849 - Near Kineta Lear 112
Near Kineta. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
2 April 1849 - Kakiscala Lear 114
Kaki-scala. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
2 April 1849 - Megara Lear 116
Megara. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
3 April 1849 - Eleusis Lear 117
Eleusis. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
5 April 1849 - Egina Lear 126
Egina. © Benaki Museum, Athens
5 April 1849 - Egina Lear 128
Egina. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
6 April 1849 - Sunium Lear 130
Cape Colonna. © Benaki Museum, Athens
6 April 1849 - Sunium Lear 131
Sunium. Courtesy of Athens City Museum, Vouros-Eutaxias Foundation, Athens
6 April 1849 - Sunium Lear 134
Cape Colonna. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
6 April 1849 - Sunium Lear 134 (A ?)
Capo Colonna. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
8 April 1849 - Athens Lear 139
Athens. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
8 aPRIL 1849 - athens Lear 141
Athens. Private collection
9 April 1849 - Kara, Athens (List name for 143 as 143B not shown) Lear 143B
From Kara, Athens. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
10 April 1849 - Phyle Lear 149
Phyle. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
11 April 1849 - Costumes Lear 151
Mandra. Private collection
11 April 1849 - Plataea Lear 155
Plataea. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
12 April 1849 - Parnassus Lear 159
Parnassus. Courtesy of The Canterbury Auction Galleries
12 April 1849 - Parnassus Lear 162
Parnassus. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
12 March 1849 - Livadia and Parnassus Lear 164
Parnassus (& Livadhia). Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
13 April 1849 - Livadia Lear 165
Livadhia. Photo by Birmingham Museum Trust, licenced under CCO
13 April 1849 - Cheronaea Lear 166
Cheronea. © Benaki Museum, Athens
13 April 1849 - Livadhia Lear 171
Lebadea. pga_ms_typ_55_26_704 Houghton Library, Harvard University
14 April 1849 - Arachova Lear 178
Arachova. pga_ms_typ_55_26_707 Houghton Library, Harvard University
15 April 1849 - Arachova Lear 184
Arachova (Men & women together). pga_ms_typ_55_26_709 Houghton Library, Harvard University
16 April 1849 - Delphi Lear 191
Delphi. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
17 April 1849 - Delphi Lear 192
Delphi. pga_ms_typ_55_26_713 Houghton Library, Harvard University
17 April 1849 - Delphi Lear 193
Delphi. pga_ms_typ_55_26_714 Houghton Library, Harvard University
17 April 1849 - near Salona Lear 197
near Salona. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
17 and 18 April 1849 - Salona Lear 199
Salona. Courtesy of American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Gennadius Library
19 April 1849 - Pentornea Lear 202
Pentornea. pga_ms_typ_55_26_717 Houghton Library, Harvard University
23 (?) April 1849 - Patras (Soldier) Lear 204
Patras. pga_ms_typ_55_26_719 Houghton Library, Harvard University
23 (?) April 1849 - Patras - gulf castles Lear 205
Patras. pga_ms_typ_55_26_720 Houghton Library, Harvard University
