Spartali & Co
Encyclopedia
Spartali & Co was a Greek import/export company active in London
, Liverpool
, Manchester
and Marseille
, with its headquarters in the Anatolia
n city of Smyrna
, in the second half of the 19th century. Along with several other Greek-owned merchant companies, it acted as a terminal and starting point for Greek middlemen and native dealers operating in the ports. Its principals were recorded in 1867 as Michael and Nicholas Spartali, Habib Giorgio Bustros, Habib Bustros, Fadlalla Bustros, Aburagi Bustros and Selim Bustros. Michael Spartali served as Greek consul-general to the United Kingdom from 1866 to 1882 and was the father of Marie Spartali Stillman
, the Pre-Raphaelite artist and wife of William James Stillman
.
In March 1879, December 1879 and May 1880 the company sold the British Museum
three consignments of ancient Babylonian clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform
records, including the Nabonidus Chronicle
, as well as miscellaneous other ancient antiquities that had probably been excavated clandestinely in Ottoman
-ruled Mesopotamia
. The consignments were designated by the British Museum as the Sp I, II and IIL collections respectively.
The company's British arm is recorded as having failed in 1884. By 1900, however, it had become the most important of the six leading rug dealers of Smyrna.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, with its headquarters in the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n city of Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
, in the second half of the 19th century. Along with several other Greek-owned merchant companies, it acted as a terminal and starting point for Greek middlemen and native dealers operating in the ports. Its principals were recorded in 1867 as Michael and Nicholas Spartali, Habib Giorgio Bustros, Habib Bustros, Fadlalla Bustros, Aburagi Bustros and Selim Bustros. Michael Spartali served as Greek consul-general to the United Kingdom from 1866 to 1882 and was the father of Marie Spartali Stillman
Marie Spartali Stillman
Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, later Stillman , was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter of Greek descent, arguably the greatest female artist of that movement...
, the Pre-Raphaelite artist and wife of William James Stillman
William James Stillman
William James Stillman , United States was an American painter, journalist, and photographer.-Biography:Stillman was born in Schenectady, New York in 1828. His parents were Seventh Day Baptists, and his early religious training influenced him all through his life...
.
In March 1879, December 1879 and May 1880 the company sold 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...
three consignments of ancient Babylonian clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
records, including the Nabonidus Chronicle
Nabonidus Chronicle
The Nabonidus Chronicle is an ancient Babylonian text, part of a larger series of Babylonian Chronicles incribed in cuneiform script on clay tablets...
, as well as miscellaneous other ancient antiquities that had probably been excavated clandestinely in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
-ruled Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
. The consignments were designated by the British Museum as the Sp I, II and IIL collections respectively.
The company's British arm is recorded as having failed in 1884. By 1900, however, it had become the most important of the six leading rug dealers of Smyrna.