Operazione Demetra

Operazione Demetra
Source: Carabinieri

Earlier this month the Italian authorities issued a statement about Operazione Demetra with its focus on Sicily [press release, 4 July 2018; Carabinieri]. One of the key elements is that arrest warrants were served on individuals in London, Barcelona and Ehningen. They are listed as:

• VERES William Thomas 64 anni, residente a Londra;  
• PALMA Andrea 36 anni, originario di Campobasso, residente a Barcellona; 
• MONDELLO Rocco, 61 anni, originario di Gela, residente a Ehningen.

Veres appears to be the same individual who handled the Steinhardt gold phiale when it passed through Switzerland ('Caveat emptor', The Economist 16 September 1999). He also appears to have sold ancient coins, largely minted in Turkey, to the British Museum. (A British individual with the initials W.T.V. was arrested in an antiquities related incident near Seville in August 2017.)

It appears that two auction houses in Munich are under investigation (John Phillips and Justin Huggler, 'Italian police smash £30m international ancient artefact smuggling ring', The Daily Telegraph 4 July 2018).

This investigation appears to be shining fresh light on the network of handlers moving archaeological material from Italy.

The British Museum will no doubt be reviewing the material acquired from this source.

Relief from temple of Hatshepsut returned to Egypt

AP circulated a press release last week noting that a relief stolen from the temple of Hatshepsut in 1975 had been returned to Egypt from London (e.g. "Egypt receives ancient stolen limestone relief", Daily Mail December 20, 2016). It appears that the relief had been purchased from a gallery in Spain by a London based dealer.

Which gallery in Spain?

I am particularly interested in the identity of the London dealer as due diligence in the London market is a major theme of the APPG on Cultural Property.

Archaeological looting in Spain

Ignacio Rodríguez Temiño and Antonio Roma Valdés have written an important study "Fighting against the archaeological looting and the illicit trade of antiquities in Spain" for International Journal of Cultural Property 22,1 (2015) 111-30. [Available here]

Abstract 

During the seventies, archaeological looting, of both land and underwater sites, not only was widespread in Spain, but also went unpunished. This situation stemmed from a lack of effective administrative and criminal legislation, human resources to combat the plague, and educational policies warning of how harmful such practices were, in spite of damning reports in the media and the social alarm raised in certain professional and political fields. The new political and social phase that began with the Constitution of 1978 has enabled the country to overcome this situation in three ways: first, by passing new, more appropriate administrative and criminal laws to help combat looting and illicit trade; second, through the creation of new regional governments (the autonomous communities) able to enforce these laws, and which have hired archaeologists specializing in cultural heritage management. The fight against the criminal aspect of looting and the illicit trade of antiquities has also been intensified by the creation of police and prosecuting bodies dedicated to the area of cultural heritage, among others. Last, educational policies have been put in place to help increase social awareness of the importance of our cultural heritage and the global loss its destruction represents. In this article we will present the first two points that have improved the initial situation as regards archaeological looting and the illicit trade of looted goods.

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ADCAEA: who is one of the officers?

I have discussed the Association of Dealers & Collectors of Ancient & Ethnographic Art (ADCAEA) elsewhere. This association has as one of its aims:

• To educate and inform members on policies and laws that affects the international movement of cultural property

I note that the Treasurer for this association is Joseph Lewis II.

Is this Joseph Lewis II the same one who loaned Egyptian material to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts? And the same one who loaned Egyptian material to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (as spotted by Lee Rosenbaum)? And the same Joseph Lewis II who donated material to the Michael C. Carlos Museum (an institution which has been less than forthcoming about the acquisitions)?

Is this the same individual who was linked to the Egyptian coffin that was intercepted in Miami where it was described as 'agricultural products' after being shipped by a Barcelona galerista? (For corrected name.)

And is this the same collector who was named in the Khouli case? (See also Rick St Hilaire with update.)

If the Treasurer of ADCAEA is indeed the collector of Egyptian antiquities, please could ADCAEA release full details (including authenticated collecting histories) of all the donations and loans made by this individual?

After all, ADCAEA has as another of its aims:

• To promote awareness and understanding of ancient and ethnographic art collecting through open communication with members and the public.

Something needs to be done about Madrid

Attic black-figured amphora now in Madrid.
Source: Schinoussa archive,
courtesy of Christos Tsirogiannis

Italian journalist Fabio Isman has written a piece on the Madrid antiquities for Il Messaggero ("Antichita’, I tesori che l'Italia non rivendica", April 21, 2012). Isman estimates that while Italy has repatriated approximately $1 billion worth of antiquities from North American museums, private collectors, galleries and auction-houses, the pursuit of the 22 objects in Madrid has rather come to a halt.

These 22 objects can be identified from photographs in the archives seized from Giacomo Medici and Gianfranco Becchina, as well as that of the UK based dealer Robin Symes.

Will Spain co-operate with a fellow European nation and return the disputed pieces? Spanish museum curators should act in a professional way and contact their Italian counterparts to resolve the matter.

Isman also rehearses the collecting history of an Etruscan amphora acquired in 2009 by the Art Institute of Chicago (inv. 2009.75) [AAMD Registry]. The amphora had been sold by Christie's in New York in 2008 for $116,500 (lot 225).

North American Collector Charged

© ICE

I am reminded that the North American collector charged today over Egyptian antiquities appears to be the same individual linked to the Miami coffin and the Barcelona galerista. It looks as if this is developing into a major story.

Looting Matters: Looting in Spain

Looting Matters: Looting in Spain

A discussion of the recent arrests in Spain.

Operation Carolina Mosaico: Expoliadores arrested in Spain

In November it was reported that four individuals had been arrested in Spain following looting from a Roman cemetery ("España: descubiertos restos robados de una necrópolis de Córdoba", AFP, November 16, 2010; "Spanish police recover relics from Roman necropolis", AFP November 16, 2010). One of those arrested was a Belgian-Lebanese male who was reported to be linked to the consignment of marble column-base, valued at 150,000 euros, to Christie's in London. The finds recovered included a Roman mosaic, prehistoric axes and 800 Arab and Roman coins. It was said that "police were still searching for the mastermind behind the network".

There seems to have been a development ("Cae una red que expoliaba y subastaba en Internet piezas arqueológicas", EFE Newswire December 10, 2010). It is reported that there have been some 85 arrests in several provinces: Madrid, Sevilla, Córdoba, Jaén, Málaga, Granada and Valencia. This is part of an operation known as "Carolina Mosaico". There have been some 115 searches that have yielded "6.000 monedas romanas y medievales, puntas de flecha, fíbulas de origen romano, pendientes y hebillas visigodas, hachas de piedra pulimentada, estelas con inscripciones en árabe, columnas y exvotos". The network had been supplying objects to buyers in Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA.

The police statement said that some members of the network had been using metal-detectors ("utilizando detectores de metales") and were paid a daily rate (plus expenses) to search specific sites for archaeological material ("Los expoliadores actuaban en comisión de servicio. Se les asignaban un yacimiento y se les pagaban dietas y gastos de transporte").

The group also seems to have been dealing in precious metals. The seizure also included 120 kg in gold and 900,000 euros ("Detienen en Málaga a dos joyeros y a un numismático en una operación contra el expolio", Sur December 11, 2010). Those arrested include a numismatist ("numismático"), as well as German nationals. A number of weapons, including a machine-gun, have been seized.

There is also apparently evidence of a sophisticated workshop producing objects that were passed off as genuine. Members of the network are reported to have made "auto-bids" for objects offered for sale through the internet.


This story should alert any coin dealers who have been buying directly or indirectly from Spain.

The Barcelona Galerista and Egypt

I am very proud of my postgraduate students who are a bright group. Today we were discussing repatriation and Egypt. They drew my attention to a limestone block from the Tomb of Imep-Hor that is now listed on the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) website.

According to the SCA website the block was spotted in the Alexandra Irigoyen Art Gallery in Madrid.

On March 19th, 2009, Dr. Josep Cervello from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona sent an e-mail to the Secretary General of the SCA expressing his concern about a limestone block that was then on display in the art gallery of Alexandra Irigoyen in Madrid.

This story had been spotted in anonymous form by the same group of students. But now we have further detail:

Dr. Cervello also was able to ascertain that the piece belongs to the Galerias F. Cervera in Barcelona.

This is the same Barcelona galerista linked to the Egyptian coffin seized in Miami. Barcelona has also been the location of seizures during Operation Ghelas.

I presume that the Barcelona galerista will be providing the SCA with full information as part of their enquiries.

Image
SCA

From Saqqara to Barcelona

I am grateful to my postgraduate students for pointing me to another Barcelona story ("Pillaged ancient Egyptian artefacts discovered in Spain", BBC News September 15, 2010). It appears that Josep Cervelló, an Egyptologist, recognised some pieces in the window of a gallery in the city ("La redención de Imephor", El Pais September 16, 2010). Cervelló had worked at Saqqara until the excavation was disrupted by looting in 1999. The name (Imephor) on one of the pieces in the Barcelona gallery "made him suspect" that these newly surfaced pieces came from the site. The Barcelona galerista claimed that the items had been acquired on the London market ("Un saqueo con escala en Londres", El Pais September 16, 2010). A police officer claimed that the galerista had acted in "good faith" ("Actuó de buena fe"). The 8 limestone fragments were on sale for between 2000 and 10000 Euros ("Pieces of ancient Egyptian necropolis found in Spain: police", AFP September 15, 2010).

This case seems to be unrelated to the Egyptian coffin seized in Florida after being consigned by a Barcelona galerista.

Miami Law: Correction

Earlier this week I drew attention to a draft paper by Stephen K. Urice and  Andrew Adler where they discuss the Egyptian coffin seized in Miami. The suggested that the collector was Joseph A. Lewis III.

This appears to be incorrect. The case papers (09-23030, signed October 7, 2009) in fact state that the Barcelona galerista sold the coffin to an importer who is named as "Joseph A. Lewis II" (12).

I note that in 1991 a Joseph A. Lewis II from Richmond Va. and an unnamed co-conspirator were "charged in federal court with illegally importing Australian wildlife into the United States" ("Lizard Case in Va. Court", The Washington Post August 3, 1991). The wildlife consisted of "exotic lizards ... including Shingle-Back skinks and Bearded Dragon lizards". The report continued:

As part of the alleged conspiracy, the unnamed co-conspirator would travel to Australia and obtain live reptiles, an act that is illegal in Australia. The co-conspirator then would send the reptiles back to the United States in certain mail parcels. 

To avoid scrutiny of U.S. Customs officials, the contents of the packages were falsely labeled, authorities said.

The Australian press also commented on the case and  provide a little more detail ("Aussie lizards: big fine", The Sun Herald [Sydney] October 13, 1991).

A man has been convicted in the US of trafficking in exotic Australian lizards. 

Joseph Lewis, an executive of a cosmetic firm in Richmond, Virginia, was convicted of conspiracy to import shingleback skinks and bearded dragon lizards from Australia. 

Allen Hundley, of the US Fish and Wildlife division of law enforcement, said yesterday: "It was a big business, well-organised." 

Hundley said evidence before the court in Richmond showed Lewis had conspired with others to import three packages into the country from Australia. Those packages contained eight shingleback skinks and 10 bearded dragon lizards. 

According to court documents, in the mid-1980s Lewis ran a business from the basement of his home called Universal Select Animals. 

The company was "engaged in buying, selling and trading in exotic, rare and protected reptiles." 

Lewis pleaded guilty and was fined the equivalent of $9,400, ordered to perform 300 hours of community service and given 30 days of home confinement for his crime. 

Two Californian men have also pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the case.

Image
© ICE

Continuing Silence from Madrid

The press office at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid continues to remain silent on the report by Fabio Isman that 22 pieces in its collection can be identified in the photographic archives seized from Giacomo Medici and Gianfranco Becchina. Indeed at least one of the pieces has also featured in the Schinoussa Archive. Some of the photographs appear to have been photographed on the premises of a restorer linked to Fritz Bürki.

The curatorial authorities need to resolve these claims as a matter of urgency. Failure to do so will undermine pan-European co-operation and has the potential to damage the reputation of the Spanish Ministry of Culture.

Image
Attic black-figured amphora featured in the Schinoussa Archive.

Laconian pottery in Madrid

I note that the Laconian cup attributed to the Hunt painter (though there is some disagreement) and formerly in the  Várez Fisa collection (Madrid inv. 1999/99/45) appears to be the same as the one sold at Christie's London 13 December 1995, lot 224, for £34,500 ($52,871). (Christos Tsirogiannis has come to the same conclusion.) The cup is listed as "The property of a private collector".

The tondo decorated with a komast scene, a standing figure playing the double pipes whilst two dancers dance energetically, a bird in the field, with two birds on either side of a columned altar in the field below, with radiate design on the underside.
4¾in. (12cm.) high; 8¼in. (21cm.) diam. excl. handles.

Who consigned the cup to Christie's? What was its collecting history prior to 1995? Who was the anonymous private collector?

• Cabrera Bonet, P. Editor. 2003. La colección Várez Fisa en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Madrid: Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. No. 46.
• Warden, P. G. Editor. 2004. Greek vase painting: form, figure, and narrative. Treasures of The National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press. No. 11

Madrid: The Bürki Link

I have earlier discussed the appearance of a Gnathian bell-krater in the Medici Dossier. While the image was recovered from Medici's premises in the Geneva Freeport, the photograph appears to have been taken elsewhere. Fabio Isman writes:

One object, an Apulian Bell Krater from 330BC that was later sold by Sotheby’s, appeared in a picture belonging to Medici that appears to have been taken in the Zurich workshop of the art restorers Fritz and Harry Bürki, a father-and-son team to whom leading antiquities dealer Robert Hecht (whose separate trial in Rome relating to the illicit trade is likely to end without a verdict because it has run out of time) sent works for restoration.

The Madrid catalogue makes no mention of the krater's sale at Sotheby's.

The Carabinieri are on the trail of objects that passed through the hands of Fritz Bürki (see here). Moreover some of the antiquities returned to Italy from North American collections (e.g. Boston, Cleveland, The J. Paul Getty Museum, New York, MMA) have been linked to him. Bürki not only restored objects, but he sold items directly to museums and to private collectors.

It looks as if the 22 objects in Madrid will be repeating a story known from so many other locations.

Image
Gnathian krater in restauro, from the Medici Dossier.

Madrid: Three Pots from the Geddes Collection

The October 2008 sale of part of the Graham Geddes collection was disrupted when the Italian Government requested that some of the lots be withdrawn on the eve of the auction in London.

I note that (at least) three ex-Geddes pieces appear in the Várez Fisa collection now on display in the National Museum of Archaeology in Madrid.

• no. 53: Athenian black-figured amphora showing departing chariot, attributed to the painter of Vatican 365 (inv. 1999/99/61). Although the collecting history is not mentioned in the catalogue, the Beazley Archive [no. 7462] lists the amphora noting that it passed through Sotheby's London 13-14 December 1982, lot 255 and subsequently 8 December 1986, lot 327.
• no. 137: Apulian pelike showing Eros in a garden, attributed to the Siren Citharist painter (inv. 19999/99/142). The catalogue notes that the piece had been sold at Christie's New York on 4 June 1998, lot 233 [entry], where it fetched $16,100. The Madrid catalogue does not note that the pelike had passed through Sotheby's in London: 9 December 1988, lot 171; 8 December 1994, lot 328.
• no. 147: Paestan lebes gamikos showing two women either side of a basin, attributed to Asteas (inv. 1999/99/146). A Paestan lebes gamikos attributed to the Asteas / Python workshop had resided in the Geddes collection. This surfaced at Sotheby's London, 21 May 1984, lot 372. It was subsequently sold at Christie's New York on 18 December 1997, lot 149 [entry], for $10,925.

The December 1982 Sotheby's sale is significant. Two pieces that surfaced through it have now been returned to Italy: a Lucanian nestoris from Boston (and once loaned by Geddes) (lot 298) and an amphora attributed to the Berlin painter returned from New York (lot 220). Bonhams had to withdraw an Apulian hydria from auction in October 2008; it had originally surfaced at the May 1984 sale at Sotheby's.

See my list of items linked to Graham Geddes at auction where two of these pieces appear to be listed.

Who consigned these three pieces to Sotheby's in 1982, 1984 and 1988? Why is the Madrid catalogue incomplete?

Madrid: Sources for the Várez Fisa Collection

I have been working my way through the catalogue of the Várez Fisa collection. I notice that some 114 of the 183 objects (i.e. 62%) in the catalogue have no apparent collecting histories.

Among the objects that surface in this catalogue for the first time is a Gnathian ware bell-krater (no. 144). An image of what appears to be the same piece features in the Medici Dossier. (See also here where Fabio Isman illustrates the same link.)

Where (and how) did the Spanish collector acquire those antiquities that have no stated collecting histories?

Image
Krater and other antiquities featured in the Medici Dossier

Madrid Overview

This posting provides a link to the key stories about the identification of 22 antiquities in Madrid from the Medici Dossier and the Becchina Stache.

• Madrid: indifference is not an option
• Madrid and the Medici Dossier
• The dealer, the movie produce and the polaroids
• Madrid and the Schinoussa archive
• Madrid and the "encyclopedic embrace of the world's material culture"
• All quiet in Madrid
• Madrid: Response from Spain
• Madrid: Looking back to 1999
• PR Newswire Release: Greek Pots, Madrid and the Medici Dossier

Image
Attic black-figured amphora from the Schinoussa archive.

Looting Matters: Greek Pots, Madrid and the Medici Dossier

Looting Matters: Greek Pots, Madrid and the Medici Dossier

Discussion of Fabio Isman's report on the 22 items in Madrid that appear to feature in the Medici Dossier and the Becchina Stache.

Madrid: Looking back to 1999

The discussion about the antiquities in Madrid reported to be shown in the Medici Dossier and the Becchina Stache has pointed me back to 1999.

There are several things to note from the official press release ("Museos-Colecciones: Estado compra Coleccion Varez Fisa por 2.000 millones pesetas", Spanish Newswire Services October 22, 1999).

First, the Varez Fisa collection was made essentially since 1970 ("en los ultimos treinta anos" [before 1999], the date of the UNESCO Convention.

Second, the collection was acquired at auctions and specialised international art fairs ("ferias internacionales especializadas").

Third, the acquisition was made with the full support of the state. The collection was presented by the Secretary of State for Culture, Miguel Angel Cortes [now the Deputy Spokesman for the Popular Party Parliamentary Group in the Spanish Congress]. He commented "'todos podemos felicitarnos' por esta adquisicion, que encuadro dentro de los acuerdos parlamentarios para llevar las instituciones museisticas 'a la altura de las necesidades culturales'". What were the cultural needs linked to this acquisition? The acquisition price was paid for by the state.

I was also interested in the list of pot-painters featured in the acquisition:

• Andocides
• Antimenes
• Epiktetos
• Lydos
• Nikosthenes
• The Affecter
• The Berlin painter
• The Pan painter
• The Meidias painter
• The Darius painter

Full details of the collecting histories for these pieces need to emerge. However, I note how pots attributed to the Berlin painter and to the Darius painter have featured prominently in the returns to Italy.


Image
Athenian black-figured amphora from the Medici Dossier.

Madrid: Response from Spain

I see that there there is a response to Fabio Isman's report on the 22 antiquities in Madrid that appear to be connected with the Medici and Becchina Dossiers (José Pérez-Guerra, "Expolio de patrimonios: La Colección Várez Fisa, adquirida en 1999 para el MAN, en el punto de mira", infoenpunto.es July 7, 2010 ). Pérez-Guerra claims that the collector, José Luis Várez Fisa, purchased on the open market ("mercado abierto"). There is a call for a joint Italian-Spanish investigation to decide what should be done. It is suggested that experts in international law be included. However, it should be noted that the 120 or so antiquities returned from North American public and private collections to Italy were not the result of legal action (though I suspect lawyers were consulted).

It would be better for common sense to prevail and for the Spanish to negotiate a suitable exchange. This would avoid the curatorial staff in Madrid having to answer searching questions about their lack of due diligence over the acquisition especially as it was made after the revaltions relating to the Geneva raids.

Image
Attic black-figured amphora from the Medici Dossier.