Henry Salt: Artist, Traveller, Diplomat, Egyptologist

Henry Salt (1780-1827) was a key figure in early 19th-century travel, Egyptology and diplomacy. Celebrated for his extraordinary expeditions to Abyssinia, which rivaled those of James Bruce, Salt became the British Consul-General in Egypt during the most fascinating period of its recent history, and was the friend and confidante of Mehemet Ali, Pasha and founder of modern Egypt. He employed the colorful Giovanni Belzoni to excavate at Thebes and Abu Simbel, and undertook important archaeological research at the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Salt built up a breathtaking collection of antiquities, including the head of Ramesses II now in the British Museum and the sarcophagus of Seti I in the Soane Museum. His close circle included such characters as Burckhardt, Bankes, and Caviglia, and Champollion praised his work on the decipherment of hieroglyphs. Trained as an artist under Hoppner, Salt's paintings of India, Abyssinia and Egypt rank alongside those of David Roberts and Thomas Daniells. This study, the first modern biography of Henry Salt, is a long overdue appreciation of a significant and sympathetic figure, and a vivid evocation of a fascinating period.