An original letter from Archduke Johann from 1817 to the British diplomat and orientalist Sir Gore Ouseley is now in the possession of the Archduke Johann Museum in Stainz Castle. The Universalmuseum Joanneum has succeeded in acquiring it with the support of the Friends of Eggenberg Castle and its collections. From September, the public will also be able to read the letter.
STEIERMARK/DEUTSCHLANDSBERG. Sir Gore Ouseley (1777–1844) was not only an entrepreneur and diplomat, but also a linguist and orientalist. At an early age, in 1787, he was drawn to India, where he learned various languages and founded a textile factory four years later.
His knowledge was in demand in Europe – whether it was mystical Egypt, wild Africa or the exotic Orient, people were hungry for the ways of life of foreign cultures. Archduke Johann probably no exception, as correspondence can prove.
For the Universalmuseum
In with the June 3, 1817 In a letter dated 1867, the Archduke thanks Ouseley because the British diplomat has sent him copies of some “Persepolitan inscriptions“. The copies played a role in the founding of the Universalmuseum Joanneum in 1811. With it, Archduke Johann donated an archive of various collections to the state of Styria, which bears witness to the “nature, art and culture of the country”.
“I destinate them for the Institute patronised under my name at Gratz in Styria” – “I destinate them for the Institute patronised under my name at Gratz in Styria”, writes the Archduke. The Institute refers to the Universal Museum. The letter thus also documents the personal interest in the Old Persian inscriptions of the Achaemenid Kings – the Achaemenid dynasty extends from 685 to 330 BC – and the decipherment that was just beginning at that time. At the same time, the letter shows how committed Archduke Johann was to expanding the Joanneum to include current contributions from international archaeological research.
Personal meetings
Ouseley served as British ambassador in Teheran from 1810 to 1814 and was also a self-taught archaeologist. In 1811, together with his brother William Excavations in Persepolis, the former residence of the ancient Persian kings, and brought back some Fragments of stone inscriptions to LondonArchduke Johann met Ouseley during his trip to England in 1815-1816, which took him to Manchester, Birmingham and London, among other places.
The inscriptions brought to England by Ouseley are now mostly kept in British Museum Although Archduke Johann Ouseley wrote a letter asking for further copies of the Old Persian royal inscriptions, the Joanneum instead received a brick from the Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II, which is inscribed in the Akkadian language.
Sir Gore Ouseley’s letter, which is of considerable historical value, is now also being made available to the public. September It can be viewed as a digital copy on one of the interactive computer tables in the Archduke Johann Museum in Stainz Castle.
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