Returns to Italy from the San Antonio Museum of Art

Source: San Antonio Museum of Art

A series of deaccessions has been made in September 2025 by the San Antonio Museum of Art. They consist of mostly South Italian pots and one Etruscan terracotta:

• South Italian oinochoe (inv. 97.8). Sold by Peter Sharrer.
• Gnathian hydria (inv. 86.119.3.a–b). Surfaced at Sotheby's (London) December 1982; sold by Atlantis Antiquities.
• Two Apulian epichyses (inv. 88.11.1.a–b). Surfaced at Sotheby's (London) December 1987.
• Paestan bell-krater (inv. 2005.1.72). Surfaced at Sotheby's (London) December 1986; Charles Ede Ltd.
• Paestan fishplate (inv. 87.17). Galerie Hydra, Geneva; Sotheby's (London) December 1986; Charles Ede Ltd.
• Etruscan terracotta figure of a woman (inv. 88.11.2). Surfaced at Sotheby's (London) December 1987.

Other items were deaccessioned in February 2021, and January 2022. 

The way that many of these pieces surfaced through Sotheby's (London) is significant. (For others from these same auctions see here.) Galerie Hydra is associated with material linked to Giacomo Medici (see here).

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Francavilla Marittima and the links to Switzerland

Fragment of plate
formerly in the Michael C. Carlos Museum

In 1979 the J. Paul Getty Museum acquired ‘a large collection of fragments of Corinthian pottery (79.AE.110) and Italian imitations of Corinthian wares (79.AE.111)’. A similar batch of material was purchased by the Archäeologische Institut der Universität Bern. As a result of research by Vera Uhlman several joins between the two collections (‘primarily from alabastra and pyxides’) were established, and a ‘set of fragments of Corinthian vases and local Italic imitations of Corinthian pottery’ were exchanged (83.AE.276). In addition, a number of plastic vases had been acquired in 1978 from ‘a private collection in Switzerland’ (78.AE.271) that were ‘part of the contents of an ancient favissa said to have been discovered in Lucania’. The combined number of fragments was in the region of 3,500. 

The fragmentary pieces appear to have come from a sanctuary at Francavilla Marittima inland from the Greek colony of Sybaris. Subsequently this cache of material was returned to Italy in 2011. 

Two more fragments linked directly to Francavilla Marittima have been returned to Italy from the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University (2005.026.001). The fragment of a Wild Goat style plate joined two other fragments: one found at the Timpone della Motta sanctuary, and another in the collection of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. The Carlos Museum fragment had formed part of the collection of Peter Sharrer and had been acquired at a sale of fragments at Sotheby’s (New York) in June 2005: the fragment is reported to have been in a private New York collection since 1976. 

Fragments formerly
in the Bothmer collection
and given to the
Michael C. Carlos Museum;
now on loan to the museum

The second set of Carlos Museum fragments consisted of a Laconian cup (2006.042.001A and B; now on loan to the museum) that had been acquired from Dietrich von Bothmer. Bothmer had acquired his fragments from Hans Jucker, professor of classical archaeology at the University of Bern, Switzerland. The Bothmer fragments joined fragments found at the Timpone della Motta sanctuary. 

It is perhaps significant that a fragment of a Laconian cup attributed to the Boreads painter formed part of Bothmer’s collection (New York MMA 2011.604.9.10): it ‘joins fragments at the Archaeological Collection, University of Zurich (Inv. 5942), formerly in the Ines and Hans Jucker-Scherrer Collection (by 1960s)’. 

Given that Bothmer clearly obtained material from Francavilla Marittima for his collection, which other pieces may also come from that source and perhaps join fragments derived from excavations there? 

James Cuno has noted that it was Sharrer who sold a collection of pottery fragments to Harvard University Art Museums. Are there any potential fragments from Francavilla Marittima residing in that location?

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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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An EPC Kotyle from the Medici Dossier

EPC Kotyle from the Medici Dossier.
Courtesy of Christos Tsirogiannis.

Christos Tsirogiannis, Associate Professor at the University of Aarhus, has linked a photograph from the Medici Dossier with the reverse of an Early Protocorinthian kotyle that is due to be offered for auction at Christies  (New York) on October 13, 2020 (lot 27). Although only one side is shown on the Christie's online catalogue, Tsirogiannis requested an image of the reverse from the auction-house and this has confirmed that they are one and the same. I understand that the District Attorney's office in New York was informed on Friday last week. 

The kotyle is provided with a history:

• Private Collection, U.K. 
• Art Market, U.K. 
• with Peter Sharrer Ancient Art, New York. 
• Acquired by the current owner from the above, 1997.

It is currently owned by an anonymous 'distinguished private collector'.

Peter Sharrer has been linked with at least one objects that has been returned to Italy: a Roman relief that was returned from Princeton in 2002. Sharrer was also the source for objects acquired by the Fleischmans as well as the Getty, the Michael C. Carlos Museum and Princeton. He is known to have acquired items from Robin Symes.

Why are the UK dealer and private collector anonymous? Are they are unknown? And where is the mention of the anonymous European collector in Christie's history?

Will other museums and collectors who purchased directly or indirectly from Sharrer conduct due diligence on their acquisitions?

Peter Sharrer and the Getty

It would be interesting to know the source of the Greek Neolithic figures (eleven in number) and vase fragments that the Getty acquired in 1995. They appear in the published list as "donated jointly by Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman and Herbert L. Lucas". But the Getty's online catalogue tells that they were sold by Peter Sharrer Ancient Art of New York. 

Why the differing accounts? Are the listed donors just the people who paid the bills?

Lucas, incidentally, donated fragments for the krater attributed to the Berlin painter that the Getty returned to Italy.

Sharrer also sold a proto-Corinthian recumbent ram and a Corinthian lion rattle to the Getty in 1986, and a Minoan jar in 1990. Sharrer is also known to have purchased from Robin Symes, e.g. the portrait head of Faustina the Younger.

Questions about the source of a dealer's fragments

I am working on the sources of Attic figure-decorated pottery fragments at the moment. I was interested to see that two fragments of a cup attributed to Euphronios by J.R. Guy (Euphronios no. 50) that had been on loan to Princeton University Art Museum (L.1990.134a–b) are now in the Michael C. Carlos Museum (2005.026.004A [and B?]). (I presume that the other fragment was acquired as the kalos inscription naming Lea]gr[os is on the second fragment. (Does the date for Leagros kalos need to be adjusted?)

The history of the fragment is provided as follows:

Ex coll. Peter Sharrer, New Jersey, acquired European art market, 1982-1983. Purchased by MCCM from Sotheby's New York, June 7, 2005, lot 26.

Sotheby's note the following:

acquired together on the European art market in 1982/1983 as part of a group of fragments by various painters

What were the other fragments acquired by Sharrer in 1982/83? Where are they now? Who acquired them?

But the more interesting question relates to the identity of the "European art market". Who was involved?

Why the interest in Sharrer? He supplied a fragmentary Roman relief to Princeton University Art Museum in 1985 that was returned to Italy in 2002 after it was realised that it had been found near Tivoli. Moreover, Sharrer was the source of a fragmentary Attic figure-decorated lekythos attributed to the Pan painter that was donated to Princeton in 1998 and again returned to Italy.

Were any of the pot fragments sold by Sharrer to another major North American university museum also derived from the same "European art market"?