Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek: Terracottas

Further details are emerging on the Etruscan architectural terracottas that have been returned from the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen to Italy.

Here is a selection of the architectural terracottas from the return. They are suggestive of material from several Etruscan temples in the region of Cerveteri.

• HIN 696-703. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 28-29, no. 1 
• HIN 704. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 38-39, no. 7  
• HIN 705. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 38, no. 7
• HIN 706. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 38-39, no. 7  
• HIN 707. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 38-39, no. 7  
• HIN 708. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 38-40, no. 7  
• HIN 709, 710. Revetment plaques. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 116-117, no. 55  
• HIN 711, 712. Revetment plaques. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 116-117, no. 55  
• HIN 713-716. Revetment plaques. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 30-31, no. 2  
• HIN 717-719. Revetment plaques. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 30-31, no. 2 
• HIN 720-721. Seated sphinx. Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 144-147, no. 69 
• HIN 722. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 148-149, no. 70  
• HIN 722. Acroterion base. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. 
• HIN 722E. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 148-149, no. 70 
• HIN 722F. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 148-149, no. 70 
• HIN 723. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 148-149, no. 70 
• HIN 724. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 152-153, no. 72  
• HIN 725. Antefix. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 60-61, no. 19  
• HIN 726. Antefix. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 57, no. 17 
• HIN 727. Columen plaque. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 169, no. 76  
• HIN 728. Columen plaque. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 168, no. 76  
• HIN 729. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 152-153, no. 72 
• HIN 731. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 148-149, no. 70  
• HIN 734. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 148-149, no. 70  
• HIN 737. Acroterion. Cerveteri. Lulof in Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 154-157, no. 73 
• HIN 738. Columen plaque. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 168, no. 76 
• HIN 739. Raking simas. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 46, no. 11  
• HIN 742. Tiles. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p.33, no. 4
• HIN 743. Tiles. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p.33, no. 4 
• HIN 744. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 38, no. 7   
• HIN 745. Painted wall plaques. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 188, no. 83  
• HIN 746. Raking sima. Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 38, no. 7  
• HIN 747. Plaques. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 118, no. 56  
• HIN 750. Painted wall plaque. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 189, no. 84  
• HIN 751. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 38, no. 7  
• HIN 752. Painted wall plaque. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 188, no. 83  
• HIN 753. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 41, no. 7  
• HIN 754. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 41, no. 7  
• HIN 755. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 51  
• HIN 756. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 51  
• HIN 758. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 51  
• HIN 759. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 41, no. 7  
• HIN 768. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 150-151, no. 71  
• HIN 772. Tiles. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 33, no. 4 
• HIN 773. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 152-153, no. 72  
• HIN 775. Acroterion. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 150-151, no. 71  
• HIN 872. Acroterion. Cerveteri. Lulof in Christiansen & Winter 2010, pp. 154-157, no. 73
• HIN 873. Raking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 44, no. 9   
• HIN 874-877. Taking sima. Similar to pieces from Cerveteri. Christiansen & Winter 2010, p. 45, no. 1  

Ny Carlsberg returns: the pottery

Here are details of some of the pottery from the Ny Carlsberg returns:

• IN 3417. Messapian trozella (nestoris). Acquired 1970 from the Art Market. Find-spot: Monte Salete (Grottaglie) in Apulia. CVA 1, pl. 105-106, no. 82.
• IN 3419. East Greek alabastron in the form of a sandalled foot. Acquired 1970. Allegedly found at Gela (Sicily). CVA 1, pl. 129, no. 123.
• IN 3444. East Greek alabastron in the form of a helmeted head. Acquired 1972. CVA 1, pl 127, no. 115.
• IN 3445. East Greek alabastron in the form of the head of an eagle. Acquired 1973. CVA 1, pl. 131, no. 129.
• IN 3498. East Greek alabastron in the form of a left leg. Acquired 1974. CVA 1, pl. 130, no. 122.
• IN 3606. Attic Panathenaic amphora, attributed to the Robinson group. Acquired 1980 on the art market. CVA 1, pls. 45-48, no. 28.

Ny Carlsberg Returns Objects to Italy

Tomb XI from Colle del Forno. Photo: Ana Cecilia Gonzalez

Back in 2008 I wrote about the Italian claims against the Ny Carlsberg in Copenhagen that had started in 2002. Earlier this month an announcement was made that Denmark would be returning objects to Italy.

A list of the material, some 501 objects, has now been released:

• 150 objects from the tomb XI ( Colle del Forno necropolis in Sabina ) with an Etruscan wagon , inv . no. HIN 527-550 , HIN 552-668, HIN 670-672 and HIN 675 
• 110 Etruscan architectural fragments from Cerveteri and Veii, inv . no. HIN 696-800 and HIN 802-806 
• 98 architectural fragments and antefixes from Veii , inv . no. HIN 822-919 
• 59 individual antique objects , inv. no. IN 3500 and IN 3502-3559 
• 17 architectural fragments, inv . no. IN 3426-3442 
• 19 Etruscan artifacts from Vulci and Cerveteri, inv . no. HIN 676-693 and HIN 695
• 34 individual antique objects, inv IN 3415, IN 3417-3419, IN 3423-3424, IN 3444-3445, IN 3447, 3498-3499 , IN 3570-3576, IN 3606-3607, IN 3622-3623, IN 3625, HIN 522-526 , HIN 669, HIN 673-674, HIN 821 and HIN 920-921 
• 14 Etruscan artifacts from Vulci and Cerveteri, inv. no. HIN 807-820 

The objects from Tomb XI from the Colle del Forno were acquired in 1970 and 1971.

I am grateful to Jakob Fibiger Andreasen for images and details, and to Lynda Albertson for other information.

For the sequence of numbers:

• HIN 522-526
• HIN 527-550 , HIN 552-668, 
• HIN 669
• HIN 670-672 
• HIN 673-674
• HIN 675 
• HIN 676-693 and HIN 695
• HIN 696-800
• HIN 802-806 
• HIN 807-820
• HIN 821
• HIN 822-919 
• HIN 920-921
• IN 3415, IN 3417-3419, IN 3423-3424
• IN 3426-3442 
• IN 3444-3445, IN 3447, 3498-3499
• IN 3500 
• IN 3502-3559 
• IN 3570-3576, IN 3606-3607, IN 3622-3623, IN 3625

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and Italy: "trasforma una crisi in opportunità"

The Italian Government and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen have come to an agreement over a series of objects acquired from the 1970s ("TORNA IN ITALIA IL PREZIOSO CARRO SABINO A DECORAZIONI DORATE: Franceschini, storico accordo tra l’Italia e il museo Ny Calsberg Glyptotek di Copenhagen", MIBACT 5 July 2016 [press release]). Although the press release is vague ("collezione di antichità del museo danese sin dagli anni Settanta del Novecento") it would appear that the objects are those associated with Robert Hecht (presumably "mercato internazionale dell’arte") and discussed by Elisabetta Povoledo in 2009. The original Italian request goes back to 2002 and renewed in 2007.

The press release also appears on the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek's website ("HISTORIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN ITALY AND THE NY CARLSBERG GLYPTOTEK"). One of the key sections provides information about the return:

About the Restitution 

The agreement is the result of the academic dialogue which has proceeded since the spring of 2012 between the Ministry of Culture in Italy and the Glyptotek. The agreement complies with the wishes of the Italian state for the restitution of a number of archaeological, primarily Etruscan objects which the Glyptotek acquired at the beginning of the 1970s through the international art market. Since that time investigations have shown that the objects had been unearthed in illegal excavations in Italy and exported without licence, which is why from a point of reason and common sense there is a consensus that these particular objects should return to Italy. 

The restitution which covers, for instance, the famous princely tomb from Sabina, begins in December this year and should be complete by the end of 2017.

One can only wonder if other museums in Japan, Holland and North America are preparing for further returns.

Amphora withdrawn from Christie's

Source: Dr Christos Tsirogiannis

Christie's has decided to withdraw the amphora that had been identified by Dr Christos Tsirogiannis as the one apparently featuring in photographs seized in a Greek police raid.

Christie's now need to look (yet again) at their due diligence process that does not appear to be rigorous enough to identify these potentially 'toxic' pieces. They need to look at how they authenticate the collecting histories of lots prior to the sale.

Due diligence needs to matter for the London market

Image seized in Greek police raid (2007)
Source: Dr Christos Tsirogiannis

Due diligence matters. And it matters even more in London as Westminster politicians discuss the issues surrounding cultural property.

And that is why major auction-houses offering cultural property for sale need to demonstrate their due diligence process and indicate the authenticated collecting history for each lot.

Failure to do so merely undermines the market.

Repeat infringements by certain institutions would suggest that due diligence is not taken seriously, and would therefore strengthen the case for politicians to take self-regulation out of the hands of the market.

Images seized in Greece and an amphora attributed to the Bucci painter

Source_ Dr Christos Tsirogiannis

Dr Christos Tsirogiannis has drawn my attention to an Attic Attic black-figured neck-amphora attributed to the Bucci painter that is due to be auctioned at Christie's London, King Street on Wednesday 6 July 2016 (lot 52). The estimate is £15,000-£25,000.

The collecting history is given as follows: 'Los Angeles art market, prior to 1996' and 'Private collection, UK'.

Tsirogiannis informs me about a Greek police raid on 31 January 2007 at Karavomylos in Greece. Among the seized (objects and) images  were two apparently showing this amphora. I have been informed of additional information about the people involved in the raid but will not share it here. (I understand that the information has been passed to the Greek police, Interpol, and Scotland Yard.)

However it is a matter of urgency for Christie's to demonstrate their due diligence process for this neck-amphora. What is the authenticated collecting history for the amphora? Who handled the piece in Los Angeles? What is the documentation? Who else handled the amphora? Who made the attribution?