Monday 20 November 2017

Attic cup surfacing in Munich identified from Medici Dossier

Athenian cup attributed to the Hegesiboulos painter
Left: Gorny & Mosch. Right: Medici Dossier (courtesy C. Tsirogiannis)
An Attic red-figured cup known from the Medici Dossier has surfaced at an auction of Gorny & Mosch in Munich (Auction 252, December 13, 2017, lot 66). This identification has been made by Cambridge-based academic, Dr Christos Tsirogiannis. The attribution is to the Hegesiboulos painter.

The cup first surfaced at Sotheby's in London on 13-14 December 1982, lot 248 (BAPD 7047). Two items also from this sale, an Attic red-figured amphora attributed to the Berlin painter and a Lucanian nestoris, have already been returned to Italy from two separate North American museum collections (see here). The catalogue entry notes that the cup is being sold with a copy of the Sotheby's catalogue entry.

The cup then passed into the 'P.C.' collection in southern Germany (a detail apparently unknown to the Beazley Archive).

The same auction-house has been trying to sell other material identified from the range of photographic archives (also identified by Tsirogiannis): a Gnathian askos, an Etruscan bronze athlete, an Apulian situla and an Apulian krater.

The auction-house was also named in the investigation known as Operation Ghelas.

These five examples suggest that Gorny & Mosch need to improve the rigour of their due diligence search prior to sales.

Gorny & Mosch will, we are sure, be wanting to be seen to co-operate with the Italian authorities.

Bookmark and Share so Your Real Friends Know that You Know

3 comments:

David Gill said...

The cup was re-offered at auction on 27 June 2019, lot 17.

David Gill said...

https://auktionen.gmcoinart.de/Auktion/KatalogArchiv

David Gill said...

"Provenienz: Ex Sammlung P.C., Süddeutschland; ex Sotheby´s London 13.-14. Dezember 1982, Los 248. Bei Lord McAlpine, London. Zuletzt Gorny & Mosch Auktion 252, 2017, Los 62. Vermutlich gelistet im Medici-Archiv. Zur Klärung der Eigentumsfrage zurückgezogen. Eine Rückforderung seitens der italienischen Behörden ist nicht erfolgt."

The Stern Collection in New York: Cycladic or Cycladicising?

Courtesy of Christos Tsirogiannis There appears to be excitement about the display of 161 Cycladicising objects at New York's Metropolit...