A Greek amphora dating back to 550 B.C. has been withdrawn from sale at a London gallery after concerns surfaced about its possible link to a convicted antiquities trafficker.
The black-figure amphora was listed by the Kallos Gallery in Mayfair and displayed last month at Tefaf Maastricht, one of the world’s top art fairs. It was removed after questions were raised about its origins.
Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis, a specialist in looted antiquities and a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, raised concerns. He identified the vase at the Dutch fair, matching it to a photograph found in the seized archive of Giacomo Medici, an Italian dealer convicted in 2004 of trading stolen artifacts.
The photograph, which appears to be the same amphora in Medici’s possession, was part of a police archive later published by Italy’s Carabinieri art squad. Dutch police have since been notified. The vase is estimated to be worth around £50,000.
The amphora measures 23.6 centimeters (9.3 inches) tall and features artwork of sphinxes, a ram, and a lion. Experts attribute the piece to the anonymous “Phineus Painter,” named for a separate vase depicting the myth of Phineus, a blind king rescued by Jason and the Argonauts.
The Kallos Gallery listed the vase’s collecting history only as far back as 1986. Tsirogiannis said that the limited timeline raised immediate red flags.
He also noted that one of the galleries previously linked to the vase had ties to a dealer convicted in the 1970s for handling looted Italian artifacts.
Tsirogiannis leads research on illicit antiquities trafficking for the UNESCO chair on cultural heritage threats at Ionian University in Corfu. He works with a large archive of photographs and documents from police raids on known traffickers.
The late Paolo Giorgio Ferri, the Italian prosecutor who led major cases against illegal antiquities dealers, shared the archive with him.
Over nearly 20 years, Tsirogiannis has identified more than 1,700 looted artifacts, helping return cultural items to 15 countries. His findings have halted high-profile auctions, including a bronze Greek horse statue that Sotheby’s planned to sell in 2018.
The piece was linked to British dealer Robin Symes. A U.S. court later ruled in favor of Greece, which claimed the object as national property.
Last year, Christie’s removed a Greek amphora from sale after Tsirogiannis linked it to Gianfranco Becchina, another convicted trafficker. He criticized the auction house for failing to disclose the full provenance of the items. Christie’s said it acted promptly once informed.
Tsirogiannis believes the recently withdrawn amphora likely originated from Etruscan tombs in Italy. He has frequently argued that galleries and auction houses fail to verify the histories of ancient items and often neglect to consult with Greek or Italian authorities before listing such works for sale.
Kallos Gallery director Madeleine Perridge said the gallery takes provenance seriously.
“We make every effort to do our due diligence and publish all collection and publication history known to us,” Perridge said in a statement. “The artwork in question has been immediately removed from sale pending advice from the relevant authorities.”
She added: “We have absolutely no interest in handling tainted artworks and welcome an opportunity to find practical and productive solutions to these complex issues.”
Kallos Gallery, founded in 2014 by Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza, specializes in ancient art. Thyssen is the son of the late Swiss billionaire Baron Hans Heinrich von Thyssen, whose collection was considered one of the finest in private hands.
Credit: greekreporter
