The Michael C. Carlos Museum and an Apulian Fishplate

Source: Michael C. Carlos Museum

The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University has noted that it will be returning an Apulian fishplate attributed to the group of Karlsruhe 66/140 (inv. 1986.015). The website provides the so-called 'provenance':

Probably with Gianfranco Becchina, Zurich, Switzerland. Ex coll. William Knight Zewadski, United States, purchased from Sotheby's London, 17 May 1983, lot 261. Deaccessioned by MCCM for repatriation to the Italian Republic, August 29, 2023.

What does 'probably with' mean? What is the basis for returning the fishplate? Who consigned the piece to Sotheby's in London in 1983? 

What other ex-Becchina pieces in the Carlos Museum need explaining?

I am grateful to Dr Cynthia Patterson for drawing my attention to this piece of information.

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Boston Returns Two Bronzes Linked to Bubon

The @mfaboston has handed over their 2 Bubon pieces to the Manhattan DA. I brought these pieces' origins at Bubon to the museum's attention 2 years ago. They neither acted on the info nor added it to their website (as below): pic.twitter.com/DZPKZOFEdN

— Elizabeth Marlowe (@ElizMarlowe) October 31, 2023

Elizabeth Marlowe has drawn attention (on X) to the return of two bronzes associated with Bubon in Türkiye from Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

One is a right leg acquired in 1967 as a gift from Jerome M. Eisenberg and Alan Ravenal (inv. 68.732). The leg appeared in the Harvard exhibition, The Fire of Hephaistos (1996), no. 16: 'now associated with the group of sculptures from ancient Bubon'. Vermeule (1980) linked it with the Bubon series (no. N). Jale Inan (1994) linked the leg with the torso in a private collection (Inan: 'Dr Sackle') and identified as Commodus (Vermeule no. K; Fire of Hephaistos, no. 55). Inan also linked it with the left thigh that appeared on the New York market (Vermeule no. T). A composite image is provided in Inan's study (pl. xxix).

The second piece is a bronze head that was in the possession of Eisenberg in 1966 when it was shown to Vermeule. In 1967 it was sold to a private collector, and in 2003 was presented to Boston by an anonymous donor (inv. 2003.786). 

Display of imperial bronze statues at Bubon.
Reconstruction: David Gill based on Jale Inan.

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Peter Sharrer, the Carlos Museum and another return to Italy

Source: Michael C. Carlos Museum

A fragment of a Wild Goat style plate was returned from the Michael C. Carlos Museum to Italy on August 29, 2023 (inv. 2005.026.001). 

Its history is recorded as follows:

Ex private collection, New York, 1976. Ex coll. Peter Sharrer, New Jersey. Purchased by MCCM from Sotheby's New York, June 7, 2005, lot 23. Deaccessioned by MCCM for repatriation to the Italian Republic, August 29, 2023.

This is not the only Sharrer fragment that was acquired by the Carlos (see here). And Sharrer's name has been associated with other returns.

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Michael C. Carlos Museum and Italy

Source: Michael C. Carlos Museum

There have been unannounced developments at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University (no mention in the press releases). At least three items have had their title transferred to Italy on 29 August 2023 and now appear as loans. I am grateful to Dr Cynthia Patterson who spotted the changes to the records.

The objects include:

• a Laconian cup attributed to the Rider painter (L2023.004.003). Surfaced via Palladion Antike Kunst, Basel (from at least 1988; first published by Conrad Stibbe in 1990); purchased from Palladion.
• an Attic black-figured Band Cup (L2023.004.001). Surfaced via Palladion Antike Kunst, Basel (from at least 1975 when it appeared in an advertisement in Apollo); Brian T. Aitken, Acanthus Gallery, New York.
• an Apulian volute-krater attributed to the Underworld painter (L2023.004.002). Surfaced in Galerie Hydra (Christian Boursaud), Geneva (by 1986); Pierre Sciclounoff (1926-1997), Geneva; purchased through Christoph Leon. 

Galerie Hydra is discussed in Peter Watson's, Sotheby's: Inside Story (1997). The Apulian krater appeared in: C. Aellen, A. Cambitoglou, and J. Chamay, Le Peintre de Darius et son Milieu: Vases grecs d'Italie méridionale (Hellas et Roma, vol. 4. Geneva: Association Hellas et Roma, 1986), 190–99 (Sciclounoff collection); A. D. Trendall, Red Figure Vases of South Italy and Sicily; A Handbook (London: Thames and Hudson, 1989), 261, fig. 210.

Can we presume that the Minoan larnax, known from the Becchina dossier, will be transferred to Greece in the near future? And what about the other material handled by Palladion Antike Kunst? 

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Hecht and a calyx-krater attributed to the Achilles painter

Michael C. Carlos Museum inv. 2002.43.56

Among the donations made by Dietrich von Bothmer to the Michael C. Carlos Museum is a series of fragments from a calyx-krater attributed to the Achilles painter (BAPD 9036441). The museum's audio recording appears to suggest that the fragments came from a single pot. 

What is more interesting is to see how Bothmer acquired the fragments:

• Robert Hecht: 1984 / 9; 1988 / 2 
• Jonathan Rosen: 1984 / 1 
• Bruce McAlpine: 1989 / 4; 19**/1 
• Mario Bruno: 1984 / 1

In other words the first pieces of this fragmented krater surfaced through three different routes in 1984: Robert Hecht, Jonathan Rosen, and Mario Bruno. Hecht supplied further fragments in 1988, and Bruce McAlpine in 1989. The sources for the remaining fragments appear to be undeclared.

Where and when was the krater found? When was it fragmented and the pieces dispersed? 

How did the Carlos justify the acquisition of these fragments given what was known (in 2002) about the sources? Why does the Carlos present the fragmented krater as a series of fragments rather than acknowledging in the text of the website that they come from a single piece? 

What do these fragments tell us about Bothmer as a collector given that some of his material has been returned to Italy? 

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Becchina and the Michael C. Carlos Museum

Source: Michael C. Carlos Museum

An Attic marble funerary sculpture was acquired by the Michael C. Carlos Museum in 2023 from Michael Ward of New York (inv. 2003.005.001). The online catalogue entry indicates that the sculpture was derived from Gianfranco Becchina. 

We note that Ward is cited in the most recent set of returns (October 2023) by the Manhattan DA.

What is the documented history of the sculpture between 1970 and 2003? Has this 'gap' been explained by authenticated paperwork? What rigorous due diligence checks were conducted prior to acquisition? Will the Carlos release the documentation for this sculpture in the spirit of academic transparency?

Is it significant that this important sculpture is not on public display?

Becchina is one of the individuals who handled the Minoan larnax acquired by the Carlos in 2002.

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