Architectural terracottas from Pyrgi

It now appears that some of the architectural terracottas returned from Copenhagen to Italy [press release] were derived from the Etruscan sanctuary site at Pyrgi, the port serving Cerveteri. It is unclear why the museum authorities in Denmark have been so reluctant to disclose a full list of what has been returned. What is becoming clear is that many of the objects were handled by or associated with individuals such as Robert Hecht, Giacomo Medici, and Fritz Bürki.

Other European museums, especially those in Germany, Holland and the UK, need to be looking carefully at objects that were acquired from these same sources.

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.

Copenhagen: return time?

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen has been ignoring claims by Italy to return a substantial number of its acquisitions. The museum has ignored diplomatic pressure, and discussion in The New York Times. There has also been a response.

Chasing Aphrodite has now revisited the issue with a detailed discussion.

I would draw attention to the October 1997 interview with Jette Christiansen, curator at the Ny Carlsberg (and published by Vinnie Norskov).

What are your sources when acquiring (art market, collectors, etc.), or which are the most important?

As mentioned, objects were often offered to us. Some years ago we had good connections to an art dealer who brought many of the objects we acquired. On a few occasions we have tried to get hold of objects we knew were in private collections abroad. But until now we have not succeeded, have met with a refusal, or have had no answer at all to our request.

 It appears that the "art dealer" was Robert Hecht.

When will the curators at the Ny Carlsberg Glytotek take the appropriate professional decision to call the Italian authorities to negotiate the return of the items?

Robert Hecht trial expires

Those following the trial of Robert Hecht in Rome will remember the predictions back in 2006: "For a man accused of crimes punishable by as many as eight years in prison, Mr. Hecht seems relatively unperturbed by the trial. (The reason may be that even if he is convicted, he is unlikely to spend a single night in prison, if only because of his age, legal experts say)" (Elisabetta Povoledo, "Antiquities Dealer on Trial in Getty Case Is Vexed but Unbowed", New York Times June 21, 2006). He was linked to the sale of the Sarpedon krater to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as a hoard of Hellenistic silver ("The Morgantina hoard"). The article reminds us that objects sold through Atlantis Antiquities, co-owned by Jonathan Rosen, have been returned to Italy. Indeed Shelby White and Leon Levy were apparently numbered among his clients.

Povoledo now reports that the Hecht trial has expired due to the statue of limitations ("Italian Trial of American Antiquities Dealer Comes to an End", New York Times blog, January 18, 2012).

The court ruling, issued Monday, came in response to a request from Mr. Hecht’s lawyer to dismiss the case because the statute of limitations on the charges had elapsed in 2011. The lawyer, Alessandro Vannucci, said he had hoped the trial would fully exonerate his client, who has always maintained his innocence, “but it was cut short.” This decision “does not do Bob justice,” he said, using Mr. Hecht’s nickname.

The judges did not express an opinion on culpability or innocence. But they ruled that a series of objects that had been confiscated from Mr. Hecht’s homes should return to their “rightful owner,” which was identified as the Italian state, a decision Mr. Vannucci said he would contest.

The trial may be inconclusive but it has reminded those who collect antiquities that they need to check the documented histories prior to purchase as part of a rigorous due diligence search.

Hecht also appears to have supplied antiquities to the Ny Carlsberg in Copenhagen, as well as to public collections in the United Kingdom. Objects that were acquired directly or indirectly from Hecht are likely to appear in the thousands of photographs in the various photographic archives derived from dealers in Greece and in Switzerland.

"The result of a traumatic action": Hecht and Copenhagen

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen appears to have made several acquisitions from Robert Hecht over the years (see earlier discussions). Elisabetta Povoledo ("Danish Museum Resists Return of Disputed Artifacts", New York Times March 17, 2009) reports on the continuing negotiations.

So what are the issues?

• a. Did the Ny Carlsberg acquire objects from Hecht?
• b. What were the recorded and documented histories for the pieces?
• c. Were the pieces known for certain prior to 1970?

Povoledo records that in the February hearing in Rome,

correspondence from the early 1970s between him [sc. Hecht] and former Glyptotek officials regarding the sale of dozens of objects to the museum — including an Etruscan calesse, or two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage, excavated near Fara in Sabina, just north of Rome — was presented as evidence against him.

The tomb in the Colle del Forno necropolis had apparently been looted by tombaroli prior to its excavation in 1970. Material from the grave allegedly passed to the Ny Carlsberg. Daniela Rizzo commented:

They were visibly the result of a traumatic action ... It would have been impossible not to know that it had been illegally excavated. Archaeologists can read between the lines.

Hecht now claims that he firs saw the objects in Switzerland. Can he remember where? Who had them in their possession at the time?

The Italian prosecutor, Paolo Giorgio Ferri, is now reported to be preparing a legal case against staff at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

The list of items said to have been acquired from Hecht and Giacomo Medici include:

• an acroterion of a winged sphinx
  
• an Etruscan terra cotta antefix ("similar to one returned by the Getty last year"; see report)
  
• terra cotta reliefs of warriors on horseback.

The curatorial authorities at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek now need to demonstrate that they are willing to resolve the situation. Will they publish the documentation relating to each of the contested pieces?

A mature decision would lead to the negotiation for the return of a selection of the disputed pieces. Procrastination will only tarnish the reputation of the museum.

Ny Carlsberg: failure to co-operate leads to intervention of ambassador

A diplomatic row is brewing between Denmark and Italy ("Ambassador mediates in a case of stolen artefacts", The Copenhagen Post February 3, 2009). Denmark's ambassador to Italy has been drawn into the dispute relating to antiquities acquired by the Ny Carlsberg (see earlier story).

Presumably the negotiations initiated by Italy in January 2007 had not been making progress. The Post notes, "for more than two years the museum and the Danish culture ministry gave various reasons for not co-operating in the investigation". But the pressure has been stepping up:

In December 2008, the Italians presented a list of 100 artefacts that they believed were acquired illegally and wanted returned. The Glyptoteket management refused to oblige, stating that many of the objects on the list were purchased legally after the former administrators, who are suspected of purchasing the alleged illegal artefacts, left their positions at the museum.

The paper also notes, "Many of the illegal artefacts purchased by Glyptoteket during the 1970s were from art dealers Robert Hecht and Giacomo Medici."
The Ny Carlsberg has been asserting that Italy has no legal claim. But perhaps its curatorial staff should consider more important questions. Did the museum acquire objects that were unknown prior to 1970? Were these acquisitions ethical?

So what could the museum do to move ahead? Why not publish the list of the 100 objects along with their collecting histories?