Criticism and Praise

Bernardo Tanucci is not the only one who’s upset. Paderni, Alcubierre, and Weber all are anxious about the situation. Soon they begin taking it out on one another.

Paderni says it’s Alcubierre and Weber’s fault. He insists to Tanucci that the two men are “in the dark in searching for the ancient monuments, as they lack the skill and necessary experience.” Outraged that Weber dared to apply to the accademia, Alcubierre places the blame squarely on him. He calls for Weber’s dismissal. Weber reacts to Alcubierre’s attacks with bitterness and hurt. He replies “1 deserve thanks rather than condemnation. ”

Johann Joachim Winckelmann

WINCKELMANN IN PORTICI  (above), a German art hist°rian,

The excavators continue to turn on one another. was not allowed to see al1 the

Treasures at the Portici palace and

Suddenly they face blistering criticism from an

Published his complaints. He later

Unexpected source—German scholar Johann visited the dig sites and found Joachim Winckelmann. Winckelmann is an more to complain about.

Expert in ancient art. Years earlier he had come to Naples to view the royal collection at Portici. He was not pleased by the reception he received. The court allowed him to see some pieces. But they would not give him complete access to the museum. The accademia members didn’t want Winckelmann writing about the collection.

Annoyed, Winckelmann wrote that the sculptures he saw were “part mediocre, part bad.” He had even harsher words for Paderni. He called him “a lousy draftsman who, to save himself from starvation in Rome, had the good fortune of being allowed to draw the ancient paintings.... This man is as much an impostor as he is a nitwit and an ignoramous and passes himself off as a Doctor of Antiquity.”

Despite this disastrous visit, Winckelmann returns to Portici in 1762. This is just as the excavations have taken a turn for the worse. Paderni seems unaware of Winckelmann’s nasty words about him. He befriends the scholar and lets him see the entire collection. Winckelmann is also permitted to visit the site in Pompeii where Weber found the Diana statue. He is allowed to review Weber’s site plans. This time, Winckelmann comes away with a much better appreciation for the treasures that have been found.

Just as the accademia fears, Winckelmann writes about his journey in a letter to a friend. The letter is then widely published in Europe. In it Winckelmann discusses the sites and the objects in the museum. But his strongest opinions are reserved for the excavation itself. Winckelmann complains that too much energy is being spent on Herculaneum. Pompeii, he declares, is a better site. In his opinion, uncovering small private houses is a waste of time that can be better spent in search of villas. And he grumbles about the shortage of laborers. At the rate they're going, he complains, it will take four generations to excavate the sites.

This statue of Diana is in the Temple of Apollo (the Roman god of music and poetry) in Pompeii. The temple was the type of site Winckelmann approved of excavating because it was an important building.

Winckelmann's most stinging criticisms, however, are of the mismanagement of the sites. He's particularly hard on Alcubierre. Winckelmann calls him a mere “land surveyor,” who was “as

By the late 1800s, Pompeii was a major tourist attraction. This interest had been predicted by the Naples ambassador to France. He suggested publishing a guide to the sites. Caroline, the sister of Napoleon, ruler of France, promoted the publication of the first guides to Pompeii in the early 1800s.

Because of the court’s secrecy, “these

Familiar with antiquities as the moon is with crabs.” About the only person Winckelmann praises is Weber. “To this intelligent man,” Winckehnarm writes, “are owed aU the sensible arrangements made [in the excavations.]” He compliments Weber’s plans but adds that plans... are shown to no one.”