Monet’s Gare St. Lazare
August 31st, 2007
Euphronios, Terracotta calyx-krater
August 4th, 2007
Euphronios (painter), Terracotta calyx-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), ca. 515 B.C.
News update:
For two and a half millennia this magnificent vase laid relatively undisturbed, however its recent history has been far from tranquil. Long disputed by the Italian authorities, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had claimed legal ownership based on the belief that the vase had been purchased from a reputable dealer prior to the enactment of a 1939 Italian antiquities law. Nevertheless, the Italian authorities have finally prevailed. They contend that the vase was unearthed by thieves who raided an ancient tomb at the necropolis at Cerveteri, north of Rome and that the Metropolitan acquired it from a dealer who’s story of its provenance has been directly contradicted by a confiscated diary outlining the involvement of another dealer convicted of trafficking in looted antiquities. The upshot is that ownership of one of the single most important works of art in the Met’s collection has been transferred to Italy.
Euphronios (painter), Terracotta calyx-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), ca. 515 B.C. [6:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download