Euphronios, Attic Calyx-Krater

Euphronios, Terracotta calyx-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), c. 515 B.C.

Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker

News update: For two and a half millennia this magnificent vase lay relatively undisturbed; however, its recent history has been far from tranquil. Long disputed by the Italian authorities, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's claim of legal ownership was based on the belief that the vase had been purchased from a reputable dealer prior to 1939, when the Italian antiquities law was enacted.

Despite these claims, 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. The legitimacy of the works' provenance has been effectively challenged by a diary confiscated from another dealer, who was 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.