内容简介：
Charles Townley (1737-1805) was a prolific collector and antiquarian. His remarkable collection of marbles was displayed to visitors in his house in Park Street, Westminster, and was regarded in its day as one of the finest sights of London. He left a wealth of papers documenting in detail the acquisition of this collection during and following his Grand Tours, and its arrangement and presentation within his house right up to the end of his life. After his death Townley's collection of classical sculpture was acquired by The British Museum where it is now displayed in the Wolfson Galleries. In 1992 his personal papers were purchased, placed with the Museum's Central Archive and subsequently arranged and listed by the author. This resultant catalogue lists the records in their distinct series, such as diaries, correspondence, financial papers and research notes. It is preceded by an introduction to Townley's life and the history and arrangement of the archive. A comprehensive index enables the researcher to search for names and topics. The half-tones illustrate some of the documents and give a glimpse of the quality of information. The importance of his archive stretches far beyond his collecting. Townley mixed and corresponded with a wide and diverse circle of people prominent in 18th-century society in England and on the Continent, which generated over 2,000 letters, and is richly illustrated by his excellent series of diaries. Correspondents included his agents in Italy, chiefly Thomas Jenkins and Gavin Hamilton, fellow collectors such as Sir William Hamilton, Richard Payne Knight, Henry Blundell, and Lyde Brown, artists including Sir Joshua Reynolds, Richard Cosway and Piranesi, staff and Trustees of The British Museum, not to mention politicians, members of the nobility, friends and family. As well as Townley's own records, the archive also contains correspondence and manuscripts of the self-styled Baron d'Hancarville, alias Pierre Franeois Hugues, whose theories on classical sculpture and mythology were a strong influence during this period. This catalogue of the archive of a most assiduous record keeper is an indispensable guide to research into collecting, taste and ideas in the second half of the eighteenth century.