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| Source: ARCA |
Last Friday the New York State District Attorney's Office raided Phoenix Ancient Art in Manhattan and removed six items (see "
List of 6 (additional) objects and warrant details on objects seized from Phoenix Ancient Art by New York State District Attorney's Office", ARCA 9 January 2018). The items include Protocorinthian and East Greek perfumed-oil containers, an Attic head jug, and a Teano ware dove. The dove is almost certainly from an Italian context, and the other objects are types frequently found in funerary contexts in Italy. Together the items are valued at $450,000. The objects appear to be the ones noted in the
New York Times: "another six pieces on display at the Phoenix Ancient Art Gallery on 66th Street".
The seizure appears to be linked to the case of
Steinhardt.
The full histories of the objects have not been disclosed. What is the authenticated documentary history for each of the items? Did each one surface prior to 1970?
I am reminded that this case of seized Steinhardt material can be traced back to
December 2014. This is a reminder that dealers should have been aware of the issues in handling material from this source.
