Skip Navigation

Scout Archives

Home Projects Publications Archives About Sign Up or Log In

The Society of Dilettanti

Founded in a London dining club in 1734, the Society of Dilettanti consisted of British noblemen and gentlemen who had traveled in Italy and Greece seeking cultural enrichment and who appreciated and collected ancient Greek and Roman art. This exhibition at the Getty Villa features paintings, sculptures, drawings, and rare books related to these bon vivants. One of the group's frequent toasts, "Seria ludo (Serious Matters in a Playful Vein)" expresses the spirit of the Dilettanti. This spirit is also evident in the online slideshow, which includes humorous portraits of the Society's members. Portraits include founding Dilettanti Sir Francis Dashwood, depicted by first official painter George Knapton, as Saint Francis of West Wycombe Park (the name of Dashwood's country house, near the village of West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire), wearing a Franciscan monk's robes and haircut, holding a goblet, and bowing to a statue of Venus.
Scout Publication
Required Software
Language
Date of Scout Publication
August 22nd, 2008
Date Of Record Creation
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:38am
Date Of Record Release
August 24th, 2008 at 11:15pm
Resource URL Clicks
6

Internal

Cumulative Rating
0
Add Comment

Comments

(no comments available yet)