Finds from Afrati, Crete

Source of image: Michael C. Carlos Museum
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The repatriation of Norbert Schimmel's helmets and mitrai from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has implications for other museum collections. One is the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University that purchased the breast- and back-plate of a bronze cuirass when it was sold at Christie's (London) in 2002 after it had formed part of the Axel Guttmann collection. It had been sold as part of the Schimmel collection at Sotheby's (New York) in 1992.

The cuirass was on loan to the Met from 1979 (inv. L.1979.49.7) as part of the exhibition Greek Art of the Aegean Islands (cat. no. 94). The catalogue stated - like the other pieces in the same exhibition - "said to be from Afrati on Crete".

The looting of Afrati in the 1960s was well documented and would have been known to the curatorial team at the MCCM. 

The Carlos has a public commitment to so-called "Provenance Research". The museum's position is stated as:

The Carlos is proactive in our approach to ownership resolution. Through the course of our research, if we find reason to believe that an object was looted from its original context or changed hands illegally or unethically, the Carlos takes immediate steps to rectify the situation and determine rightful ownership.

Can we assume that the Carlos will be contacting the Hellenic authorities to arrange for the cuirass to be returned to Greece so that it can be displayed with other material from Afrati in the Heraklion Museum?

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A volute-krater with a "tremendous provenance"

A volute-krater attributed to the Syriskos painter by J.R. Guy (see BAPD 44988) is said by Michael Padgett to have been found with a psykter-column-krater attributed to the Troilos painter recently repatriated to Italy from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (BAPD 15922). Fragments of both kraters were held, so Padgett informs us, by Rolf Blatter. (Blatter donated the Troilos painter fragments to the Met.)

Is it time for the present owner of the volute-krater to return it to Italy so that it can be displayed alongside its companion piece?

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Cretan bronzes to return to Greece

Helmet and two mitrai from Afrati, Crete
Source: New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Part of what Günter Kopcke called "freebooter's loot" from Afrati on Crete has been returned to Greece from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The looting appears to have taken place c. 1964, well before the 1970 UNESCO Convention. The MMA pieces had formed part of the Norbert Schimmel collection. 

This has implications for two other North American university collections that hold Afrati material derived from the Schimmel collection. 

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Another Bürki object returns to Italy

Source: MMA

A psykter column-krater attributed to the Troilos painter was deaccessioned by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in June 2026 (1986.11.12; BAPD 15922). The history of the piece was recorded by the MMA:

[By 1982, (perhaps late 1970s), with Sandro Cimicchi, Basel, Switzerland]; [until 1985, with Christoph Leon, Basel, Switzerland]; [1985-86, with Christie’s, London]; acquired in 1986, purchased from Christie’s, London (lot 141).

However, the Manhattan DA added that the krater was 'smuggled out of Italy by Fritz Bürki'. The Christie's sale was on July 16, 1986.

The references on the MMA website omit the publication in the volume of Essays in Honor of Dietrich von Bothmer (2002).

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Two more Bothmer donations returned to Italy

Cup attributed to near Psiax. Source: MMA.

In February 2026 two fragmentary Attic cups that had been given to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art by Dietrich von Bothmer were deaccessioned pending their return to Italy. Both were donated in 1984, and both had been acquired from Fritz Bürki. One was a bilingual cup attributed to near Psiax (1984.500.1; BAPD 44520) and the other cup was attributed to Epiktetos with a kalos inscription of Hip(p)archos (1984.500.2; BAPD 9055412).

We should note that the MMA has earlier returned a black-figured mastos attributed to Psiax (1975.11.6; BAPD 4525). Bürki was the source of other returns from the MMA including fragments from a Makron cup (1978.11.7a, d), and fragments of the Apulian dinos attributed to the Dinos painter (1984.11.7). He was also the source of some 11 per cent of the fragments in the sample selection of Bothmer fragment collection acquired by the MMA.

The MMA returns 45 more antiquities to Italy

Source: MMA

The Manhattan DA has announced that 45 objects derived from New York's Metropolitan Museum have been returned to Italy. They include a marble fishplate and two marble dishes said to have been found together that had been handled by Robert Hecht (the fishplate) or Jonathan P. Rosen (the bowls) (inv. 1984.11.6; 1985.401.1–2). Another group of 40 Italic items had been donated by Mr & Mrs Jonathan P. Rosen (inv. 1991.171.2–41). Some of these pieces feature in the catalogue of the Etruscan collection. It should also be recalled that Rosen was the source for some of the pieces of amber that have already been returned to Italy.

Another piece was an Attic red-figured psykter column-krater attributed to the Troilos painter that is said to be have been removed from Italy by Fritz Bürki (inv. 1986.11.12; BAPD 15922).

Other classical items from the MMA are to be handed back to Greece and Türkiye including the terracottas from the Panionion.

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Classical Returns from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art

Over 900 classical items - and perhaps as many as 1,200 if the Lydian haul material is included - have been deaccessioned from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over 15 entries from the handbook to the classical collection form part of the returns.

These returns are now discussed in: 

Gill, D. W. J. 2026. "Context Matters: Classical Repatriations and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art." Journal of Art Crime 35: 55–93.

The scale of the deaccessions is staggering and does not reflect well on those who made the recommendations to acquire.

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