William John Bankes
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William John Bankes was an English politician, explorer, Egyptologist and adventurer.
Portrait by George Sandars, 1812
Anne Frances Bankes (1789–1864), Countess of Falmouth by Thomas Lawrence 1810-15 (at Kingston Lacy)
Kingston Lacy, the seat of Bankes family.
Philae obelisk
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The Philae obelisk is one of a pair of twin obelisks erected at Philae in Upper Egypt in the second century BC. It was discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1818, who had it brought to Kingston Lacy in Do
William John Bankes
…celebrated Bankes' successes; he performed the ceremony at Kingston Lacy when the foundation was laid for one of Bankes' most notable discoveries, the Philae obelisk. Bankes was an amateur architect, a careful epigrapher, and mastered the art of copying ancient inscriptions. He was very interested in Egypt and…
The Philae obelisk with Kingston Lacy in the background
Thomas Young by Briggs
Jean François Champollion, by Léon Cogniet