An illustrated talk by William Paton.
25th April 2024 at 19:15 at Fountainhall Church Centre (formerly Rubislaw Church Centre), 1 Beaconsfield Place, Aberdeen AB15 4AB
James Byres of Tonley (1734-1817) spent much of his life as a cicerone, or guide, in Rome. He also prospered there as an art dealer, selling paintings, sculptures and engraved gems to a host of clients including the Earl of Exeter, the Duke of Marlborough and Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. His career was bracketed by time in Aberdeenshire: his family owned Tonley estate, by Tough, from which they fled after the Jacobite Uprising of 1745. Educated in France, Byres moved to Rome to become an artist, subsequently qualifying as an architect. However he found his skills lay in corralling the Grand Tourists around the sites, brokering deals that saw a host of treasures such as the Portland Vase and Poussin’s Seven Sacraments leave Italy. Byres eventually retired to his estate, which he improved over the years to come. He also continued his architectural practice, leaving a small legacy of buildings in Aberdeenshire. This talk will examine Byres’ ability to capitalise on networks he inherited and created in order to become one of the leading art dealers in Rome. Byres’ family network spanned continents, stretching from India to the Baltic and to the slave plantations of the Caribbean.
Aberdeen Italian Circle 