Koutoulakis and due diligence

My latest column for the Journal of Art Crime reviews a number of antiquities that were handled by Nicolas Koutoulakis. This includes a group of 100 architectural terracottas from Cisterna di Latina that were returned to Italy, a marble herm, and a skyphos in Toledo. Museums would be wise to conduct a due diligence process on objects that were derived from the same source.

Gill, D. W. J. 2019. "Context matters: Nicolas Koutoulakis, the antiquities market and due diligence." Journal of Art Crime 22: 71–78.

The Woman on a Balcony: Hecht and Bürki

Unknown
Fresco Fragment: Woman on a Balcony, 10 B.C.–A.D. 14, Fresco
60 × 45.2 × 3 cm (23 5/8 × 17 13/16 × 1 3/16 in.), 96.AG.172
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California, Gift of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman

Christos Tsirogiannis has published the history of the fresco fragment, 'Woman on a Balcony', that was acquired by the Getty from Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman. The fragment was sold to the Fleischmans in 1987 by Fritz Bürki. Why is the image of this fragment among the photographs seized from the property of Robert Hecht?

Around 60 of the Fleischman pieces were acquired from Bürki. How many of these were actually derived from Hecht?

The research of Tsirogannis appears to be opening up the way for new claims to be made by the Italian authorities on objects in North American museums.

Reference

Tsirogiannis, C. 2019. "Nekyia: ‘Woman on a balcony’ at the Jean Paul Getty Museum." Journal of Art Crime 22: 65–69.

Roche Abbey and metal-detecting

2013

The Cistercian Roche Abbey has been in State Guardianship since 1921 and is now in the care of English Heritage. The abbey was founded in 1147.

It now appears that illegal metal-detecting has been taking within the site. A notice from the South Yorkshire Police ("Police appeal for witnesses following criminal damage at Roche Abbey", 29 December 2019).

Police received reports of two incidents of digging and illegal metal detecting activity believed to have been committed between 11 December 2019 and 18 December 2019. Multiple holes were dug, causing damage to the grounds of the grade ii listed medieval monument.

These incidents show a flagrant disregard for the nation's protected heritage.

An inscription from Kos

In 1983 the J. Paul Getty received the anonymous donation of a Greek inscription from Antimachia on Kos (J. Walsh, "Acquisitions/1983." The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal 12 (1984), 239, no. 37). This notice pointed to the previous publication of the stone when it had been observed built into the walls of the church of Ayia Marina where it had been observed first by Marcel Dubois ("Inscriptions des Sporades." Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique 7 (1883) 481–82, no. 4) and then by William R. Paton (W.R. Paton and E. L. Hicks, The inscriptions of Cos (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891) 271–72, no. 383) who made some corrections to Dubois' text.

The anonymous donor of the inscription was Stefan Hornak who had acquired it in 1983 from Galleria Serodine SA in Ascona, Switzerland. Hornak was one of the people identified as a major donor to the Getty with objects worth $869,800 (Geraldine Norman and Thomas Hoving, "Spectrum: The fine art of tax avoidance", The Times 13 February 1987).

When did the inscription move from the church of Ayia Marina on Kos to the Galleria Serodine SA in Switzerland? What is the supporting documentation?

Walsh noted that the inscription would be published by Dirk Obbink.

Eros and Robin Symes

Christie's (London) are due to auction a Roman statue of Eros unstringing a bow on 4 December 2019 (lot 483). The piece, 'The property of a gentleman', is provided with the following history:

Roger Peyrefitte (1907-2000) collection, Paris, said to have been acquired from Nicolas Landau in the late 1960s. French private collection, purchased from the above in 1986.

Yet Professor Christos Tsirogiannis has identified images from the Schinoussa archive suggesting that the Eros had passed through the hands of Robin Symes at some point (Dalya Alberge, "Christie's urged to pull sale of Roman statue 'linked to illicit dealers'", The Guardian 24 November 2019).

When in the sequence did Symes handle the Eros? Why does this information not appear in the stated history? Is the stated history supported by authenticated documentation? Did Christie's check the piece with the relevant authorities in Greece or Italy?

Buying and Selling Papyri

The statement by the EES that some 120 papyri fragments from its collection are missing is raising concerns in the academic community. 19 of the fragments have been identified in a public museum and a private collection in North America, and these will apparently be returned to the EES.

There are questions that need to be answered. What authenticated documentation was supplied with the sale of the papyri? What due diligence was undertaken? Who had access to the EES collection?

why has the acquisition of papyri fragments been seen as different from that of antiquities? Are they not seen as part of the archaeological record?

Looting in Calabria

It has been announced that a cross-European investigation has closed a network of looting in southern Italy [press release]. It has involved law enforcement agencies in France, Germany, Serbia and the United Kingdom. It is reported that thousands of objects have been seized as well as tools used in looting activities.

Does the presence of UK enforcement agencies suggest that some of the material was due to be sold in London?

Again, the scale of the operation is a reminder that looting is not an issue that has disappeared and it continues to threaten the finite archaeological record.