Hamilton, Sir William

Hamilton, Sir William,1730–1803, British diplomat and archaeologist, ambassador to Naples (1764–1800). He was the husband of Emma, LadyHamilton, mistress of Admiral HoratioNelson. His fine collection of antiquities from Pompeii was sold to the British Museum in 1772 and stimulated English interest in the art of the classical civilizations. His publications includeAntiquités étrusques, greques et romaines(1766–67) andMount Vesuvius(1772).

See biography by B. Fothergill (1969); J. Russell,Nelson and the Hamiltons(1969).

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