Donkey Head Rhyton

Donkey Head Rhyton

In 1977, the Cleveland Museum of Art purchased this Roman drinking cup, in the shape of a donkey's head. The purchase was made under the direction of John Cooney, who has been publicly tied to the known acquisition of illegal artifacts since 1973.

When Swiss and Italian authorities raided the Geneva warehouse of Italian antiquities trafficker Giacomo Medici in 1995, they recovered records that showed how the rhyton had been trafficked through the antiquities market.

Medici acquired the conical cup at an unknown date and worked with another Italian dealer, Gianfranco Becchina, to offer the rhyton to the American dealer, Robert Hecht. Hecht, operating out of Paris, sold the rhyton to the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1977 through his business partner Bruce McNall's Beverly Hills storefront, Summa Gallery.

After Italian authorities presented the evidence about the rhyton to the Cleveland Museum of Art, the artifact was returned in 2008 along with 14 others following 18 months of negotiation. Under the agreement between the two parties, the museum received replacement artifacts on loan from Italy.

1

Vessel – pots, amphorae, vases, kraters

Roman

Cleveland Museum of Art

1977.92

Italy

Liv Siefert