archaeological exploration

OPPOSITE William Pars, Ruins of the temple of Apollo at Didyma, from the north east¸ October 1764. Pen and grey and black ink, watercolour, with gum arabic and some body colour. Size: 299 x

In search of ancient Ionia

William Pars’s poetic images of the ruins he encountered on an expedition to Ionia and Athens helped shape the taste for Greek styles in 18th-century Britain. Louise Stewart takes us on a journey to Ionia through the eyes of this young artist.