Martin Robertson
Encyclopedia
Charles Martin Robertson (11 September 1911 – 26 December 2004) was a British scholar of classical art and archaeology and poet. He was the elder son of Donald Struan Robertson
and Petica Coursolles, née Jones (1883–1941), who hosted a literary salon. Martin Robertson, as he was always known, attended the Leys School and Trinity College Cambridge. In 1934 Robertson graduated and moved to Athens
as a student of the British School
, under the direction of the archaeologist Humfry Payne
. Robertson returned to England in 1936 as assistant Keeper in the Greek and Roman department of the British Museum
, cataloging the pottery from the excavations at Al Mina in Syria led by C. Leonard Woolley. At this time Robertson was implicated in the scandal of the damage during cleaning to the Elgin Marbles; the controversy cost him promotion at the museum. Robertson served in the war from 1940 to 1946, marrying Theodosia Cecil Spring Rice in 1942. After the war Robertson returned to the British Museum. He resigned in 1948 to succeed Bernard Ashmole
as Yates Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at University College London. In 1961 Robertson again succeeded Ashmole, this time as Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at Oxford in which role he served until his retirement in 1978.
As a scholar Robertson is best remember for his work on Greek art, in particular vase painting, of which he was a student, and in many respects heir, of John Beazley
. When Beazley died in 1970, Robertson and another Beazley student, Dietrich von Bothmer
updated and enlarged Beazley's earlier lists of painters, Paralipomena: Additions to Attic black-figure Vase-painters and to Attic Red-figure Vase-painters, published in 1971. His A History of Greek Art, which first appeared in 1975, remains the authoritative text and still used for its breadth of learning and deep understanding of the topic; an overview of the topic written by, at that time, one of the most eminent scholars in the field. 1975, too, saw the publication of The Parthenon Frieze. His first book was Greek Painting (1959) in which he used vase-paintings and work in other media to try to recreate the lost wall-paintings that were known only through textual references. His work on Athenian red-figure vase-painting finally culminated in The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens (1992), a book published while he was in his eighties. He was also the recipient of the festschrift
"The Eye of Greece" edited by Donna Kurtz and Brian Sparkes.
As a poet Robertson published various collections, including Crooked Collections (1970), For Rachel (1972), A Hot Bath at Bedtime (1975), and The Sleeping Beauty's Prince (1977).
Donald Struan Robertson
Donald Struan Robertson , was a classical scholar, particularly noted for his work on Apuleius, and for 22 years the Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge .-Life:...
and Petica Coursolles, née Jones (1883–1941), who hosted a literary salon. Martin Robertson, as he was always known, attended the Leys School and Trinity College Cambridge. In 1934 Robertson graduated and moved to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
as a student of the British School
British School at Athens
The British School at Athens is one of the 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:The School was founded in 1886 as the fourth such institution in Greece...
, under the direction of the archaeologist Humfry Payne
Humfry Payne
Humfry Gilbert Garth Payne was an English archaeologist, director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens from 1929 to his death.-Personal:...
. Robertson returned to England in 1936 as assistant Keeper in the Greek and Roman department of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, cataloging the pottery from the excavations at Al Mina in Syria led by C. Leonard Woolley. At this time Robertson was implicated in the scandal of the damage during cleaning to the Elgin Marbles; the controversy cost him promotion at the museum. Robertson served in the war from 1940 to 1946, marrying Theodosia Cecil Spring Rice in 1942. After the war Robertson returned to the British Museum. He resigned in 1948 to succeed Bernard Ashmole
Bernard Ashmole
Bernard Ashmole, CBE, MC was a British archaeologist and art historian , who specialized in ancient Greek sculpture. He was Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of London, 1929-1948...
as Yates Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at University College London. In 1961 Robertson again succeeded Ashmole, this time as Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at Oxford in which role he served until his retirement in 1978.
As a scholar Robertson is best remember for his work on Greek art, in particular vase painting, of which he was a student, and in many respects heir, of John Beazley
John Beazley
Sir John Davidson Beazley was an English classical scholar.Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Beazley attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a close friend of the poet James Elroy Flecker. After graduating in 1907, Beazley was a student and tutor in Classics at Christ Church, and in 1925 he...
. When Beazley died in 1970, Robertson and another Beazley student, Dietrich von Bothmer
Dietrich von Bothmer
Dietrich Felix von Bothmer was a German-born American art historian, who spent six decades as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he developed into the world's leading specialist in the field of ancient Greek vases.-Early life and education:...
updated and enlarged Beazley's earlier lists of painters, Paralipomena: Additions to Attic black-figure Vase-painters and to Attic Red-figure Vase-painters, published in 1971. His A History of Greek Art, which first appeared in 1975, remains the authoritative text and still used for its breadth of learning and deep understanding of the topic; an overview of the topic written by, at that time, one of the most eminent scholars in the field. 1975, too, saw the publication of The Parthenon Frieze. His first book was Greek Painting (1959) in which he used vase-paintings and work in other media to try to recreate the lost wall-paintings that were known only through textual references. His work on Athenian red-figure vase-painting finally culminated in The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens (1992), a book published while he was in his eighties. He was also the recipient of the festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
"The Eye of Greece" edited by Donna Kurtz and Brian Sparkes.
As a poet Robertson published various collections, including Crooked Collections (1970), For Rachel (1972), A Hot Bath at Bedtime (1975), and The Sleeping Beauty's Prince (1977).