- 1859-1884 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
Name of creator
Italian Egyptologist; he was born in Milan, 8 Jan. 1812, son of Giuseppe V. and Maddalena Brutpacher; he studied painting but was later involved in a political plot, and was condemned to death, although afterwards the sentence was commuted and he was released; he took refuge in Switzerland, France and England where he earned a living by teaching Italian and selling pictures; he went to Egypt about 1841 where he lived as a portrait-painter and dealer; he returned to Milan, 1848, but again went into exile in Egypt in 1849; he travelled to Constantinople and Smyrna, where he married; his wife died a few months later, and he returned to Egypt; as a dealer he had become acquainted with Mariette by 1853 when he sold him the coffin of King Intef; in 1856 he sold some important papyri to the British Museum (EA 100068, 100083, 10403); in 1859 he became assistant to Mariette and conducted many of his excavations; he served in Garibaldi's army, 1860, and was named curator of Egyptian antiquities at the Naples Museum, 1860; he was Keeper of the Bulaq Museum, 1865-83; temporary Director, 18 Jan.-7 Feb. 1881; he retired to Milan in 1883 and then Rome in 1884; he published Opuscules Divers, 2 vols. 1864-7; I Monumenti istorici egizi, it Musueo e gli scavi d'antichita eseguiti per ordine di S. A. Vicere Ismail Pascia; notizia sommaria, 1869; I Musei Egizi d'Italia, 1873; there is a marble bust of him in the Cairo Museum; a collection of his Egyptian antiquities and books was acquired in the 1930s by the American collector Horace L. Mayer, who were donated many to the Boston Museum; his papers are in the Griffith Institute, Oxford, and at Milan; he died in Rome, 13 June 1887.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Photocopies made from photographs lent by Professor Curto in August 1971.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Photocopies of papers kept at Castello Sforzesco, Milan.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
System of arrangement
Arranged/numbered according to Tiradritti's publication. Photocopies not identified added at end and with Griffith Institute's own numbering system.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Property of the Griffith Institute. No restrictions. Consultation only.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright Castello Sforzesco, Milan.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
These are photocopies from photographs. The originals are at Castello Sforzesco, Milan.
Existence and location of copies
Set of photographs in the hands of Professor Curto in 1971.