Specimens of typography - ancient and modern’: the significance of classical typographical artworks in the Canterbury Art Exhibition of 1870

Scattered throughout the 1870 Canterbury Art Exhibition held in Christchurch were a range of classical antiquities, artworks and artefacts relating to the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. One of the strongest concentrations of classical material was to be found in the typography display, placed in cases in Bay C and D on the ground floor of the exhibition. On exhibit were copies of ‘Caesar's Commentaries’, 1558, from Dr Barker; ‘Ovid's Metamorphoses’, 1584, from Mr Mountfort; ‘Ovid’, 1664, and ‘Cicero de Officiis’, 1664, from Mr Fooks; and a 1772 Baskerville edition of Catullus, Tibullus, [and Propertius] from Mr Nottidge.

This was the province’s inaugural art exhibition, proudly held in the brand-new Canterbury Museum building, and made possible by borrowing from the private collections of well-known families and wealthy individuals. It was a prime opportunity for aspiring colonists to display the symbols of their taste and cultural capital to the community at large. As such, it is fascinating to consider the role books played in what was marketed as an ‘art exhibition’, and why the inclusion of translations of ancient texts is significant.

There has been valuable scholarship in Aotearoa which examines of the impact of Classics on art and literature created by New Zealand artists and writers, but to date there has been little consideration in the field of classical reception of the influence of material culture, such as books of classical texts brought out to this country. The Canterbury Art Exhibition of 1870 provides a useful local example of classical reception through artefacts, in nineteenth century New Zealand.

Terri Elder is the Curator of the University of Canterbury Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities and a current PhD candidate in Art History at the University. She has worked extensively in museums, art galleries, and collections throughout New Zealand as a curator and collection manager and is passionate about using museum objects and material culture for teaching and learning.