The campaign inspired debate over the fate of the Euphronios Krater and raised questions surrounding the repatriation of art objects. In 2005, Italy began a public campaign in an attempt to reclaim looted Italian objects from various foreign museums. Medici then sold the krater to Robert Hecht, an American antiquities dealer, who in turn sold it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $1 million in 1972.Īfter the discovery of the krater’s true provenance, the Italian government began requesting the return of the artifact to its homeland. It was revealed that Giacomo Medici bought the krater directly from the tomb robbers who discovered the ancient object. The truth was not revealed until 1995 when the Swiss warehouse of antiquities launderer Giacomo Medici was raided to expose thousands of stolen objects and the records of their sales to museums and collectors.
Image: New York Times/Metropolitan Museum of ArtĪlthough sold through a dealer, skepticism quickly formed around the krater’s provenance and many believed that it had been excavated illegally and smuggled. The opposite side of the krater features warrior figures in the midst of preparation for battle. Euphronios’ work contains the mythological figure of Zeus’ son, Sarpedon, being carried by Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death) with the help of Hermes (The Messenger), all rendered in the red-figure style.
The krater was extremely desirable as it is one of the few known examples of work by the ancient artist Euphronios, dating from 515 BCE. In 1971, an ancient Greek krater, a vase-like object used for mixing water and wine, was excavated from an Etruscan tomb near Rome and sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $1 million the following year.
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