ROTTIERS, Bernard Eugène Antoine
Bernard Rottiers (1771-1857) was a Flemish army official. He was born in Antwerp and joined the Russian army during the occupation of Flanders by Napoleon (1808). He was entrusted with military missions to Georgia against the Persian and Ottoman armies (1811).
In 1818 Rottiers returned to the Netherlands by way of the Black Sea, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France and England. While in Athens, he met French consul L. Fauvel and Austrian consul G. Gropius, both of whom were involved in trading antiquities. Rottiers financed an excavation on the outskirts of Athens (Aixone), organized thanks to the influence of the two consuls. The three men shared the findings and Rottiers returned to his country with some classical funerary steles of excellent quality, which made up the first collection of Greek antiquities (although declared to be “of unknown origin”) and were sold to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) of Leiden in 1820.
In 1824 Rottiers acquired funding from the Ministery of Interior of his country to organize a two-year expedition in Greece in order to collect antiquities for the National Museum of Leiden. The project could not be realized due to the ongoing Greek Revolution and thus Rottiers changed destination and stayed in Rhodes for six months. He worked on an edition which describes and depicts the medieval monuments of the islands, and devoted little effort to the collection of antiquities. Nevertheless, after short excavations in Milos, Rottiers managed to obtain a Roman mosaic, an altar, a late Hellenistic bust, a kouros statue from Thera and several Cycladic vases.
To date, the present edition remains an invaluable source for the study of Rhodes' medieval monuments.
Written by ioli Vingopoulou
ROTTIERS, Bernard Eugène Antoine - Aegean islands - Aegean sea islands
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The fortifications of the city of Rhodes and the Muslim cemetery seen from the southeast.
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Interior of the church of Saint John in Rhodes.The author being shown the location.
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The interior of the Church of Panagia of Filerimos, seen from the west.
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Interior of Byzantine church of Saint Stephen on Agios Stefanos or Monte Smith hill, Rhodes.
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Facade of the Knights' Hospital in Rhodes (current Archaeological Museum of Rhodes).
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Entrance to the Knights' Hospital in Rhodes (current Archaeological Museum of Rhodes).
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Side entrance to the Knights' Hospital in Rhodes (current Archaeological Museum of Rhodes).
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The Refectory of the Knights' Hospital in Rhodes (current Archaeological Museum of Rhodes).
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The gate of Saint Catherine in the inn of St. Catherine in the medieval town of Rhodes.
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Bernard Eugène Antoine Rottiers' ship anchored at the port of Rhodes.
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View of the city of Rhodes with the suburbs, to the left of the port.
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View of the interior of D'Amboise Gate in the medieval city of Rhodes.
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The fortifications of the city of Rhodes and the Muslim cemetery seen from the southwest.
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The fortifications of the city of Rhodes and the Muslim cemetery seen from the east.
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View of the interior of the Grand Master's Palace in the Medieval City of Rhodes.
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View of Rhodes, from the Grand Master's Palace to Naillac tower.
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The garden of Auvergne in Rhodes. The author being shown the location.
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Colonnade of the Knights' Hospital in Rhodes (current Archaeological Museum of Rhodes).
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Lodge of Saint John in the medieval town of Rhodes. The author being shown the location.
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The tomb of Grand Master Fabrice Caretti in the Church of Saint John in Rhodes.
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Architectural features from Castellania in the medieval town of Rhodes.
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The Auberge of the Langue of France in the medieval town of Rhodes.
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The Auberge of the Langue of Spain and Portugal in the medieval town of Rhodes.
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The Auberge of the Langue of Italy in the medieval town of Rhodes.
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The Auberge of the Langue of England in the medieval town of Rhodes.
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Side wall of the Byzantine church of Saint Stephen on Agios Stefanos or Monte Smith hill, Rhodes.
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The ruined church of Saint Mark in the Jewish quarter of Rhodes.
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Chapel of Panagia Filerimos, Rhodes. The author being shown the location.
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Frescoes from the Church of Agios Georgios Chostos in Filerimos, Rhodes. Resurrection of the Dead.
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The gate of Saint Catherine at the hospice of Saint Catherine in the medieval town of Rhodes.