Silver Griffin Drinking Cup

Silver Griffin Drinking Cup

In December 2003, antiquities dealer Hicham Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art was arrested in New York and charged with two federal felonies after he transported this Iranian silver rhyton (drinking cup) into the United States with false documents.

In February 2000, Aboutaam allegedly used a false invoice to declare the vessel's country of origin as Syria instead of Iran, which was under sanctions at the time. In 2002, Aboutaam sold the vessel for USD $950,000 to collector Paula Cusi, a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, the dealer had informed Cusi during negotiations that the vessel came from Iran. US authorities said the rhyton is believed to have been part of the Iranian Western Cave Treasure, which was discovered in 1989 and subsequently plundered. Aboutaam eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for falsifying documents in the case.

In 2013, United States government officials handed it over to Mohammad-Ali Najafi, Iran’s Cultural Heritage Chief. An expert at the British Museum later suggested that the object might be a modern forgery.

1

Vessel

Persian

Paula Cussi

Iran

Jason Felch

VG