 |
| Source: MCCM. Loan from the Republic of Italy |
The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University has issued a "story" about their acquisition of looted Laconian pottery fragments from Italy ("Thieves, soda cans and an ancient vessel"). There is no mention of the donor in this new report: "the five sherds were photographed in the collection of the individual who donated them to the Carlos". It is more than significant that the donor was the late Dietrich von Bothmer who has been linked to a number of sherds that have had to be returned to Italy. Why does the "story" fail to name one of the most prolific modern collectors of pottery fragments?
Henry Kim, the director of the Carlos, reminds us of the importance of transparency: "It’s a notion based in fear ... which the Carlos staff counteracts through vociferous transparency about their own efforts." Perhaps he needs to reflect a little more on the meaning of obscured transparency.
See Gill, D. W. J., and C. Tsirogiannis. 2024. "Fragmented pots and Dietrich von Bothmer." MAAR 69: 535–94 [online].
