Attic Pot Fragments Returning from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragment of amphora attributed to the Amasis painter. Formerly MMA inv. 1985.53.

Three of the fragments that were returned to Italy from the Metropolitan Museum of Art had been illustrated in the exhibition catalogue of the Amasis painter (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art September-October 1985; The Toledo Museum of Art, November  1985-January 1986; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, February-April 1986).

Two were attributed by Dietrich von Bothmer to the Amasis painter:

No. 2 bis: Inv. 1985.53; BAPD 14680; Search List U. Fragment of a panel amphora. Traces of a horse's mane. Attribution by Dietrich von Bothmer. 

Fragment of amphora attributed to the Amasis painter. Formerly MMA inv. 1985.11.2.

No. 17: Inv. 1985.11.2; BAPD 14683; Search List K. Fragment of a panel amphora. End of 'signature'. Attribution by Dietrich von Bothmer. 

Fragment attributed to Lydos. Formerly MMA inv. 1985.11.1.

One fragment was attributed to Lydos. It had been purchased from Galerie Antike Kunst Palladion in 1985:

(fig. 25) Fragment of a plate showing gods. Inv. 1985.11.1; BAPD 14695; Search List J. Attribution by Dietrich von Bothmer. 

All three fragments are reported on the MMA's website to have been with Galerie Antike Kunst Palladion until 1985 (the year of the Amasis painter exhibition). Fragment 1985.53 was purchased by Dietrich von Bothmer and given to the museum as an anonymous gift. 

How were these fragments 'discovered' in the very year of the exhibition? 

And what are the histories of the Amasis painter fragments purchased in the same and preceding year? How were they acquired? For some reason this information is not provided on the MMA website.

No. 18. Inv. 1984.313.2; BAPD 14656. Fragment of an amphora. Anonymous gift.  Attributed to the Amasis painter by Dietrich von Bothmer.

No. 18 bis. Inv. 1985.57.a-h; BAPD 14735. Fragments of a panel amphora; both sides. Anonymous Gift. Attributed to the Amasis painter by J.R. Guy in February 1984 'before the fragments came to New York'. 

No. 56. Inv. 1984.313.1; BAPD 14636. Fragment of a Band Cup. Anonymous gift. Attributed to the Amasis painter by Dietrich von Bothmer. 

What about the fragment of a Band Cup that was given to the museum in 1986 by Dietrich von Bothmer? What was its history?

Inv. 1986.99.6;  BAPD 9035071.

The recent return of the three pieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art has started to raise questions about other pieces in the collection. 

| |