Wednesday, 22 January 2020 at 6:00 pm – Wednesday, 22 January 2020 at 7:00 pm

“A dupe to the puffs and tricks of all kinds of dealers!” Fake Latin Inscriptions and their Collection in Eighteenth Century England

Part of the Manchester Classical Association public lecture series

Date: Wednesday 22nd January 2020

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Location: Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HY

Tickets: Free – Available on Eventbrite

Latin inscriptions were faked throughout the eighteenth century to be sold on the Italian art market to English Grand Tourists, who acquired them believing them to be genuine souvenirs of antiquity. This talk explores what kinds of inscriptions were faked, how they were understood by those who collected them, and how they have been identified as forgeries today. By bringing the interests of both Italian forgers and British collectors together, to consider the reciprocal nature of their interaction, this talk questions why epigraphic texts were so susceptible to forgery in this particular period.

Refreshments will be available from 5.30, and the talk will run from 6-7pm in the format of a public lecture, followed by discussion with the Mc Classical Association Chair, Dr April Pudsey of Manchester Metropolitan University, and brief Q&A session with the audience.