The Steinhardt Oinochoe Attributed to the Berlin painter

Oinochoe attributed to the Berlin painter
Source: Manhattan DA

The recent exhibition of Athenian pots attributed to the Berlin painter listed among the new attributions a single oinochoe from the Judy and Michael Steinhardt collection (BN44). It shows a youth feeding a Maltese dog.

The attribution had been made by J. Robert Guy though the date when this was made is not noted.

A polaroid of the oinochoe is reported to be in the Medici Dossier. The Manhattan DA's statement relating to the seizure of antiquities from the Steinhardt collection noted:

The Berlin Painter Oinochoe first surfaced on the international art market in 1996, when Steinhardt purportedly purchased the Berlin Painter Oinochoe from Harry Bürki with no prior provenance for $215,000. 

The statement notes that while the invoice stated that Bürki was the vendor, "Steinhardt’s records reflect that the real seller of the object was the American-born trafficker Robert Hecht."

This is one of several pots attributed to the Berlin painter that have been returned to Italy. And it should be a matter of concern to academics writing on Athenian pottery that such a high percentage of pots attributed to this painter have no secure archaeological contexts. 

It should be noted that the identification was made by Associate Professor Christos Tsirogiannis.

See D.W.J. Gill, 'Fragmented Athenian Pots and the Berlin Painter: Recent Breaks?' Academia Letters (2020): 1–5 [DOI].  

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