Edward Perry Warren
Encyclopedia
Edward Perry Warren known as Ned Warren, was an American art collector and the author of works proposing an idealized view of homosexual relationships.
in Maine. He received his B.A. from Harvard College
in 1883 and later studied at New College, Oxford
, earning his M.S. in Classics. His academic interest was classical archeology. At Oxford he met archeologist John Marshall (1862-1928), a younger man he called "Puppy," with whom he formed a close and long-lasting relationship, though Marshall married in 1907, much to Warren's dismay. Beginning in 1888, Warren made England his primary home. He and Marshall lived together at Lewes House, a large residence in Lewes
, East Sussex
, where they became the center of a circle of like-minded men interested in art and antiquities who ate together in a dining room overlooked by Lucas Cranach
's Adam and Eve, now in the Courtauld Institute of Art
. One account said that "Warren's attempts to produce a supposedly Greek and virile way of living into his Sussex home" produced "a comic mixture of apparently monastic severity (no tea of soft chairs allowed) and lavish living."
Warren spent much of his time in Continental Europe, collecting art works many of which he donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
, assembling for that institution the "largest collection of erotic Greek vase paintings " in the U.S. He has been described as having "a taste for pornography" and a "pioneer" in collecting it. His published works include A Defence of Uranian Love in three volumes, which proposes a type of same-sex relationship similar to that prevalent in Classical Greece, in which an older man would act as guide and lover to a younger man.
In 1900 Warren published The Prince who did not Exist, a small edition art book from the Merrymount Press
, "a most beautiful specimen of workmanship" according to the New York Times.
Warren's oldest brother, Samuel D. Warren had left law to work in the family's paper mill. He managed the family trust established in May 1889 with the legal assistance of Louis D. Brandeis to benefit his father's widow and 5 children. Edward Warren challenged his brother's administration of the family trust in 1906, a dispute that ended with Samuel's suicide in 1910.
Warren purchased the Roman silver drinking vessel known as the Warren Cup
, now in the British Museum
, which he did not attempt to sell during his lifetime because of its explicit depiction of homoerotic scenes. He also commissioned a version of The Kiss
from Auguste Rodin
, which he offered as a gift to the local council in Lewes. The council displayed it for two years before returning it as unsuitable for public display. It is now in the Tate Gallery
.
Warren had a home for a time in Gorham, Maine, and Marshall had a home in Rome.
John Marshall's will named Warren as his executor and beneficiary.
In March 1928, Warren gave Lewes House and its adjoining properties to H. Asa Thomas, who had begun as his secretary and become his business associate and friend.
Later that year, Warren became seriously ill and underwent surgery. He died in a London nursing home on December 28, 1928. His ashes were buried in the non-Catholic cemetery in Bagni di Lucca
, Italy, a town known as a spa in Etruscan and Roman times.
The disposition of his estate was complicated by legal problems. An auction of some 250 pieces of his furniture brought $38,885. The Sackler Library
at Oxford University holds the "Papers of E.P. Warren and John Marshall." Warren's will established the position of EP Warren Praelector at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
, and established restrictions, no longer maintained, that ensured the holder lived at or near the College and taught only men.
Biography
Warren was born on January 8, 1860, in Waltham, Massachusetts, one of five children born into of a wealthy Boston, Massachusetts family. His father was Samuel Denis Warren, who founded the Cumberland Paper MillsS. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill is a small mill built on the Presumpscot River in the 1730s in a rural and fairly unpopulated area. In 1854, that small paper mill, in the soon-to-be established town of Westbrook, Maine, was purchased for $28,000 by Samuel Dennis Warren. The mill was named Grant, Warren and...
in Maine. He received his B.A. from Harvard College
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1883 and later studied at New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, earning his M.S. in Classics. His academic interest was classical archeology. At Oxford he met archeologist John Marshall (1862-1928), a younger man he called "Puppy," with whom he formed a close and long-lasting relationship, though Marshall married in 1907, much to Warren's dismay. Beginning in 1888, Warren made England his primary home. He and Marshall lived together at Lewes House, a large residence in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, where they became the center of a circle of like-minded men interested in art and antiquities who ate together in a dining room overlooked by Lucas Cranach
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder , was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving...
's Adam and Eve, now in the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
. One account said that "Warren's attempts to produce a supposedly Greek and virile way of living into his Sussex home" produced "a comic mixture of apparently monastic severity (no tea of soft chairs allowed) and lavish living."
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, assembling for that institution the "largest collection of erotic Greek vase paintings " in the U.S. He has been described as having "a taste for pornography" and a "pioneer" in collecting it. His published works include A Defence of Uranian Love in three volumes, which proposes a type of same-sex relationship similar to that prevalent in Classical Greece, in which an older man would act as guide and lover to a younger man.
In 1900 Warren published The Prince who did not Exist, a small edition art book from the Merrymount Press
Merrymount Press
The Merrymount Press was a printing company, both scholarly and craftsmanlike, founded and run by Daniel Berkeley Updike in Boston, Massachusetts, and extant during the years 1893–1941...
, "a most beautiful specimen of workmanship" according to the New York Times.
Warren's oldest brother, Samuel D. Warren had left law to work in the family's paper mill. He managed the family trust established in May 1889 with the legal assistance of Louis D. Brandeis to benefit his father's widow and 5 children. Edward Warren challenged his brother's administration of the family trust in 1906, a dispute that ended with Samuel's suicide in 1910.
Warren purchased the Roman silver drinking vessel known as the Warren Cup
Warren Cup
The Warren Cup is an ancient Roman silver drinking cup decorated in relief with two images of homosexual acts. The cup is named after its first modern owner, the collector and writer Edward Perry Warren, and was acquired by the British Museum in 1999...
, now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, which he did not attempt to sell during his lifetime because of its explicit depiction of homoerotic scenes. He also commissioned a version of The Kiss
The Kiss (Rodin sculpture)
The Kiss is an 1889 marble sculpture by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Like many of Rodin's best-known individual sculptures, including The Thinker, the embracing couple depicted in the sculpture appeared originally as part of a group of reliefs decorating Rodin's monumental bronze portal The...
from Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
, which he offered as a gift to the local council in Lewes. The council displayed it for two years before returning it as unsuitable for public display. It is now in the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
.
Warren had a home for a time in Gorham, Maine, and Marshall had a home in Rome.
John Marshall's will named Warren as his executor and beneficiary.
In March 1928, Warren gave Lewes House and its adjoining properties to H. Asa Thomas, who had begun as his secretary and become his business associate and friend.
Later that year, Warren became seriously ill and underwent surgery. He died in a London nursing home on December 28, 1928. His ashes were buried in the non-Catholic cemetery in Bagni di Lucca
Bagni di Lucca
Bagni di Lucca is a comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Province of Lucca with a population of c. 6,500.-History:Bagni di Lucca was known for its thermal springs since the Etruscan and Roman Ages....
, Italy, a town known as a spa in Etruscan and Roman times.
The disposition of his estate was complicated by legal problems. An auction of some 250 pieces of his furniture brought $38,885. The Sackler Library
Sackler Library
The Sackler Library holds a large portion of the classical, art historical, and archaeological works belonging to the University of Oxford, England.- History :...
at Oxford University holds the "Papers of E.P. Warren and John Marshall." Warren's will established the position of EP Warren Praelector at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, and established restrictions, no longer maintained, that ensured the holder lived at or near the College and taught only men.
Select works
- The Prince who did not Exist (1900)
- Classical and American Education (Oxford, B.H. Blackwell, 1918)
- Alcmaeon, Hypermestra, Caeneus (Oxford: B.H. Blackwell, 1919)
- A Tale of Pausanian Love (1927), under the pseudonym Arthur Lyon Raile
- A Defence of Uranian Love, 3 vols. (privately printed, 1928-30), under the pseudonym Arthur Lyon Raile
Sources
- Osbert Burdett, E.H. Goddard, Edward Perry Warren: The Biography of a Connoisseur (London: Christophers, 1941)
- Martin Burgess Green, The Mount Vernon Street Warrens: A Boston Story, 1860-1910 (NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989)
- Matthew Kaylor, Secreted Desires: The Major Uranians: Hopkins, Pater and Wilde (2006)
- John Potvin, "Askesis as Aesthetic Home: Edward Perry Warren, Lewes House, and the Ideal of Greek Love," Home Cultures, vol. 8, number 1 (March 2011), 71-89
- David Sox, "Warren, Edward Perry (1860–1928)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004); online edition, May 2005, accessed 5 June 2006]
- David Sox, Bachelors of Art: Edward Perry Warren & the Lewes House Brotherhood, (Fourth Estate, 1991)
- Dyfri Williams, The Warren Cup. British Museum Objects in Focus series. British Museum Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7141-2260-1
- K.A. Worp, "P.Warren (=Pap.Lug.Bat. 1)", Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists, 47 (2010), 238-40, a short article identifying this Warren with the "E.P. Warren" behind the volume of papyri bearing his name.