Attic Red-Figured Mask Kantharos

Attic Red-Figured Mask Kantharos

This mask kantharos (cup) was acquired by the Getty Museum in fragments between 1985 and 1996 from several sources. It illustrates how looted objects were often distributed in fragments across various dealers in the illicit market, only to be reconstructed when acquired by a museum.

The Attic red-figured mask kantharos depicts Dionysos, and has been attributed to the Foundry Painter—one of the prominent vase painters of the early 5th century BC—based on stylistic analysis by Robert Guy. The potter is identified as Euphronios, a celebrated figure of the period known for his collaboration with leading painters and for his contributions to the development of red-figure technique.

Polaroid photographs of the kantharos, seized from the warehouse of Giacomo Medici, show the vessel shortly nearly intact soon after its looting. After passing through Medici's hands and the Geneva Free Port, the kantharos then allegedly passed to Robin Symes (1982-1984) and was evaluated by Robert Guy while in Symes' possession.

The kantharos was then acquired by Zurich based restorers Fritz Bürki & Son in 1985 for USD $200,000. Rather than re-assemble the vase, Bürki sold the first set of fragments to the Getty in 1985. Symes then sold additional fragments to the museum in 1988 via his company Robin Symes Limited. The final set of eleven fragments were sold to the Getty by dealer Brian Aitken in 1996. Once the Getty had acquired all the various fragments, the kantharos was reconstructed and restored.

The winding path of these fragments mirrors those of the Getty's Onesimos kylix (also potted by Euphronios) which was re-assembled from fragments acquired over several years from several sources. The distribution of important vase fragments among dealers was later recognized by Italian authorities as a marketing tactic. Rather the sell the fragments as a group, traffickers distributed them across several dealers, who sold them separately as "joins" to the owner of the first fragments. Each successive piece of the puzzle increased the value of the vase – and therefore the price that could be charged for the fragments.

True later confirmed the theory in an interview with Italian prosecutors, saying she had concluded that dealers were working together to extract higher and higher prices for matching fragments. The fragments she was being sold had sharp edges that fit neatly with other fragments being sold, not the worn edges one would expect from an ancient fracture, suggesting they were modern breaks.

“I came to realize we were being blackmailed,” she said. “Clearly the pieces seemed to be smashed.... It was clear these fragments had been dispersed over a huge market.”

As a result of both legal negotiations between the Getty Museum and the Italian government, along with the Getty's own internal research, this kantharos was returned with 39 other items in August 2007. The restitution was overseen by Italy’s then Minister of Culture, Francesco Rutelli, and Getty Museum Director Dr. Michael Brand.

1

Vessel – pots, amphorae, vases, kraters

Greek

J. Paul Getty Museum

JPGM 85.AE.263; 88.AE.150; 96.AE. 335. 4-5,9

Italy

Masterpieces of the Getty Collection, #42

J. Paul Getty Museum Journal 14, 1986, p. 192 n. 55

J. Paul Getty Museum. Handbook of the collections, 1997, pag. 49

#29 in Medici Sentence https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24171763-medici-sentenza-1204-copy/?q=kantharos&mode=document#document/p181

Jason Felch

Damien Huffer

Ilaria Bortot