University of California, Berkeley, Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology Dr. Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr., the longtime excavation director at Sardis in Turkey, died on May 4, 2012. Greenie had requested that at his death a painting and a drawing would be bequeathed to the Gennadius Library in Athens. We thank his family and his executors for sending us these two wonderful works of art that hang in the Director’s office in the library.
The painting is a lovely watercolor of Athens seen from the Ilissos river, painted by the accomplished Swiss landscape painter Johann Jakob Wolfensberger (1797-1850) in 1837. It was bought in London from M. Newman Ltd. (43a Duke Street, St, James’s, London, SW 1) in 1974. In pastel hues of green and lilac the painting evokes a serenity while at the same time it highlights the glory of the classical monuments in their majestic ruinous state, within the larger frame of nature. While in Athens, Wolfensberger was a highly sought after water colorist; his patrons included King Otto and the envoys of France and Austria.
The second bequest is a pencil drawing of General Theodoros Kolokotronis on his deathbed drawn from nature by the French artist, Pierre Bonirote (1811-1891) on February 4, 1843. in 1840 Bonirote was sent from Lyon to establish a French academy of painting in Athens that he himself directed until 1843. This well known drawing has been reproduced numerous times. We are grateful to Greenie for donating this iconic artwork to the Gennadius Library to enrich its unique collections on the Greek War of Independence and the newly founded Modern Greek State.