Lord Byron in Albanian Dress
11:54 PM |
| Thomas Phillips, Lord Byron in Albanian Dress, 1813 |
"Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes
On thee, thou rugged nurse of savage men!
The cross descends, thy minarets arise,
And the pale crescent sparkles in the glen,
Through many a cypress grove within each city's ken."
The cross descends, thy minarets arise,
And the pale crescent sparkles in the glen,
Through many a cypress grove within each city's ken."
On this eye opening trip, Byron at some point acquired several items of Albanian clothing that he chose to don when posing for his portrait to be painted by Phillips. The poet took great lengths to fully display his love for Albanian culture, even cradling a sword of the country's make in his arms. After Phillips painted the portrait, Byron did not hold on to the costume much longer, instead sending it off to a wealthy Scottish woman by the name of Mercer Elphinstone. The outfit eventually made its way to the Museum of Costume in Bath, where it was shown for just two years, before being returned to the family who had allowed it to be exhibited. Three different copies exist of the painting: The original piece which hangs in the British Embassy in Athens, a 1/2 length piece painted in 1835 and hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in London, and a second, full-length copy which is still owned by Byron's old publishing company.
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