Roadstead in the island of Cyprus, showing the ramparts of Amathunta and the town of Limassol, 1792

The Austro-Italian painter Luigi Mayer was commissioned by his patron Sir Robert Ainslie, British ambassador to the Porte, to travel to the Ottoman dominions and illustrate the beauty of those lands. Ainslie wanted to publish a book with these views. In 1803, a volume appeared published by Robert Bowyer with the title ‘Views in the Ottoman Empire, chiefly in Caramania, a part of Asia hitherto unexplored’. The volume contained two views of Cyprus: ‘Antique fragments at Limisso’ and ‘A colossal vase near Limisso in Cyprus’. Two more watercolours remained unpublished in the hands of Robert Ainslie. In one of these, Turkish labourers are engaged in transporting ancient stones and loading them onto a boat from the ramparts of the town of Amathus. The view is a valuable testimony of the antiquities in Amathus existing in the 18th century. The section of column and the cornice in the foreground do not belong to the ramparts of Amathus but come from another building on the acropolis inland where once stood a temple. Excavation in 1989 by the French archaeological mission brought to light pieces sharing the same architectural characteristics which prove the accuracy of Mayer’s representation. The masonry and the wall beyond no longer survive. This makes Mayer’s illustration a unique record of the existence of fortification on the sea shore which archaeologists date to the Hellenistic period. The part of the wall standing in the middle of the picture, although damaged, still stands today. Sir Robert Ainslie, being a typical grand tourist, requested his painter to focus primarily on the classical civilization of these distant lands. Classical themes were en vogue and myths linking Cyprus to Greece raised expectations about archaeological finds on the island. Bearing this in mind, Mayer did not look for or portrayed Lusignan monuments and, furthermore, was particularly careful not to express any sentiments within his illustrations or commentaries that could compromise his patron. The costumes allude to the Turk in Cyprus whereas the subject matter to the Hellenistic period. The ruined fortifications being dismantled and transported to an unknown destination attests to the Ottoman attitude towards antiquities. However, the objective representation of an act of pillaging by the Ottomans could have compromised the British ambassador’s position vis-à-vis the Sultan; this probably explains why the watercolour was not published in the book.